HONOLULU — Inmates at Hawaii’s women’s prison weren’t able to visit with their children on Mother’s Day because not enough guards showed up for work.
The state Department of Public Safety has been struggling with guards calling in sick and other time-off abuses that have frequently forced the cancellation of family visits at various Hawaii prisons.
Department spokeswoman Toni Schwartz says nine out of 29 officers assigned for duty came to work on Sunday at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua.
But an organization that helps families affected by incarceration hosted a kids’ day at the prison on Saturday, where 24 inmates spent time with their children.
Schwartz says scheduled visits for two of the facility’s four cottages were held on Saturday.
She says two-thirds of about 250 inmates are mothers.