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Something must be done about Hawaii’s overcrowded and run-down jails, or the courts may finally force the state to act.

Critics of Hawaii’s criminal justice policies have argued for years this state locks up too many people unnecessarily. The pandemic tested that idea.

This is the second federal trial in the civil case dealing with claims by women inmates who say they were assaulted in the control booths of the facility.

The ruling comes in a case brought by Civil Beat to force the state to reveal the names and details of people who die in jail and prison.

The death would be the sixth suicide at the facility in five years. Experts say staffing and a lack of mental health professionals on staff is a major concern.

A new report could be the focus of legislative discussions this coming session on a long touted and often criticized new Oahu jail facility.

A state prisons expert says she was surprised by how bad the conditions are at the Big Island corrections facility.

Oahu Community Correctional Center failed to follow “common sense correctional practices” and placed the 62-year-old prisoner in jeopardy, the lawsuit says.

Other states routinely identify inmates who die in custody, but Hawaii refuses to do so. That prevents the public from learning how most of those inmates died.

The Women’s Community Correctional Center has a long history of allegations of sexual misconduct, and broken cameras make it harder to prove cases.