WE, the undersigned, OPPOSE the closing of Kulani Prison on Moku o Keawe (Hawai`i Island). WHY close a prison in Hawai`i while continuing transfers outside of Hawai`i and while there is empty bed space in Hawai`i Hawai`i continues to banish more than half of our prisoners to the hands of Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) profiteers. Currently more than 2,000 Hawai`i prisoners are serving their sentences in CCA prisons thousands of miles from home and `ohana. Why would we close the prison that provides a program that effectively addresses a community safety issue Kulani is home to the largest and most successful sex offender treatment program in Hawai`i. The Department of Public Safety's 2008 Annual Report (page 51) stated: Hawai`i is the only state to track each offender's criminal history throughout his life after his release, which allows the department to collect long-term recidivism data. National statistics suggest that 11% of sex offenders who receive treatment in prison will commit a new sex crime within two years of their release. Hawai`i offenders do much better. Since 1988, fewer than 2% of Hawai`i sex offenders who received treatment have returned to prison for new sex crimes, which is the lowest recidivism rate in the nation by far. In this challenging economy, is it smart government to put 90 people out of work in a very rural area where jobs are already scarce