CCA prison murders: Another Hawaiian faces capital punishment

Hey Director Frank - you seem to think that murder is just a given in prison, since CCA doesn't need to change anything. That's kind of disturbing. As for your assessment of the relationship between the murderer and his victim: I'd call choking someone to death a good indication of "bad blood".

Since you seem to lack any ideas, here's a procedural change I can think of that needs to be made at all the prisons: stop putting the folks in for fraud and drug-related crime in cells and yards with the real bad guys (murderers, gang members, etc.). How about increasing staffing and surveillance, too? We just pack people into these prisons to warehouse them now, putting two and three into cells designed for one, and stuffing hundreds into huge gyms converted into dorm rooms, too. There can't possibly be adequate supervision or protection for those guys. They just keep getting killed that way.

Better yet, if you care enough about their lives to kill the people who end them, then maybe you should find something else to do with your non-violent offenders than send them off to an expensive prison with the worst-of-the-worst thousands of miles from home. These prisoners families should be marching in the streets demanding that the rest be brought back home. Putting them on a tether and enrolling them in school would be cheaper and more effective towards rehabilitating them than what you're doing now.

Of course, Arizona won't even make sure our youth can succeed in school before they get criminalized, so I don't think we're about to entertain that one here. We're pretty invested in keeping a certain portion of our population uneducated enough to fill those low-wage jobs we just chased all our migrants out of...

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Third Hawaii inmate faces death penalty in Arizona

By Gregg K. Kakesako

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 04, 2010

Honolulu Star Observer

A third Hawaii inmate serving time in an Arizona prison faces the death penalty after allegedly killing a fellow inmate during an argument in June.

Mahina Uli Silva, 21, was indicted by a Pinal County grand jury yesterday for allegedly strangling his cellmate from Hawaii, Clifford Medina, 23, on June 8. Medina was found unresponsive in the cell he shared with Silva at Saguarao Correctional Center in Eloy, Ariz.

Clayton Frank, director of the state Department of Public Safety, said his office was informed of the indictment yesterday.

Frank said Silva was sent to prison in 2006 after being convicted for burglary, theft and robbery. He is eligible for parole in October 2011.

Silva is the third inmate from Hawaii facing capital crime charges.

The other two are Miti Maugaotega Jr., 24, who is serving a life sentence for first-degree attempted murder for the June 2003 shooting of Punchbowl resident Eric Kawamoto; and Micah Kanahele, 29, who is serving two 20-year sentences for the October 2003 shooting deaths of Greg Morishima at his Aiea home and Guylan Nuuhiwa in a Pearl City parking lot a week later.

Maugaotega and Kanahele were indicted earlier this year for the stabbing death of fellow inmate Bronson Nunuha, 26, who died Feb. 18.

Frank said the two are expected to stand trial in Arizona this month.

The three are the first to face capital punishment for a crime committed in a private prison on the mainland since Hawaii started housing inmates out of state in 1995.

Hawaii, which abolished capital punishment in 1957, is one of 11 states and the District of Columbia that do not have the death penalty.

Maugaotega, Kanahele and Silva are among the 1,871 male Hawaii inmates at Saguaro, a 1,897-bed prison owned by Corrections Corp. of America.

Frank said an internal investigation into Medina's death by his staff hasn't turned up any major problems or procedures that need to be changed at the private prison.

He said that Medina and Silva are both from the Pahoa area on the Big Island.

"There is no indication of bad blood between the two," Frank said.

Hawai’i: Legislature demands CCA audit

I'm sorry, but when your citizens are dying like this, why do you need a cost-benefit audit in order to decide whether or not to pull them out? Isn't negligence a violation of CCA's contract, anyway?

It seems like in the human analysis financial concerns are already over-emphasized by the legislature (and still they waste through incarceration of burglars); that's how Hawai'i got into the business of outsourcing their prisoners - the family members of their people - in the first place. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon to "save money" - now we are beginning to finally ask "at what cost?".

Hawai'i - take advantage of this moment in history to tear this system down and start over - when will you or your children ever get another chance? Don't let it pass you by.

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Lawmakers Want Governor To Sign Prisons Audit Bill

Say Needed Now After Two Prison Deaths

Denby Fawcett

KITV 4, Honolulu

POSTED: 5:55 pm HST June 22, 2010

UPDATED: 10:10 pm HST June 22, 2010

HONOLULU -- State lawmakers said Tuesday they are seriously considering a veto override if Gov. Linda Lingle (R) vetoes a bill calling for a cost-benefit audit of a privately run Arizona prison.

The state spends more than $60 million a year to send nearly 2,000 Hawaii inmates to Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Ariz., because of prison overcrowding in Hawaii.

Saguaro is run by the Corrections Corp. of America.

Two Hawaii inmates have died at Saguaro Prison in Arizona in less than four months.

Inmate Clifford Medina's cellmate admitted to Arizona police he strangled Medina June 8th.

Bronson Nunuha died Feb. 18 after multiple stab wounds to his neck. Two Hawaii inmates have been indicted in the case on first degree murder and gang related charges.

State Sen. Will Espero (D) said Tuesday, in light of the deaths at Saguaro, it's time for an audit.

"If the governor does veto this bill. I think it would be a big mistake," said Espero. "I think it would be unwise considering in the last several months there have been two murders at Saguaro plus the fact that we pay $61 million a year to CCA to keep our inmates in there."

The Corrections Corp. of America also runs Otter Creek Prison in Kentucky where after allegations of rape and inmate abuse, all Hawaii's female inmates were returned to Hawaii.

Lingle in her potential veto message said an audit of mainland prison operations is expensive and unnecessary.

But Espero said that's not so.

"The governor said it would be too expensive, but in the bill we do not have an appropriation so the auditor's office would be using funds it already has," said Espero.

State Auditor Marion Higa said she is operating under the assumption Lingle will let the audit bill become law.

Higa said next week two analysts from her office will spend the week at Saguaro working beside prisons officials from Hawaii as they do their quarterly quality control inspection. Higa said that will help her analysts begin planning for the audit Hawaii lawmakers requested.

Higa said she expects the prisons audit will be inexpensive because she will use in-house staff and money that has already been appropriated for her department.

Espero said that if the governor vetoes the prisons audit bill, he will recommend a veto override.

House Public Safety Chairwoman Faye Hanohano was a prison guard at Hawaii's Kulani Prison for 25 years. Hanohano said she will also recommend an override if the governor vetoes the prisons audit bill.

Hanohano said more needs to be known to determine if Hawaii taxpayers are getting their money's worth by sending prisoners to the mainland instead of incarcerating them in Hawaii.

"There is a lot of missing data that needs to be brought out and hopefully an audit will flush it out," said Hanohano.

The Hawaii Prisons Department opposes the audit bill as it is written, it would too expensive and its scope is too broad.

"It is unclear exactly what they are asking to audit," said Hawaii Public Safety Director Clayton Frank.

Frank said the bill calls for the auditor to look not only at the Arizona prison but also the closure of Kulani Prison on Hawaii island, and the state's practice of paying for Hawaii inmates to be housed at the Federal Detention Center at Honolulu International Airport.

Daniel Gluck, an attorney with ACLU Hawaii said an audit of CCA's services at Saguaro Correctional Center could end up saving Hawaii money as it has for other states who have reviewed their own contracts with CCA.

Gluck said after Idaho audited CCA earlier this year, it began withholding $2,600 a day from CCA for its denial of proper health services to Idaho inmates.

" Hawaii allowing a $61 million no-bid contract to go on for 15 years with no independent oversight is an unsound financial practice for the state," said Gluck. "We are hoping that the governor will consider these numbers and allow the audit to become law."

Honolulu to Eloy: Medina's family seeking answers.

From our friends in Honolulu at KITV 4 ... no surprise here from CCA. They don't need to deal with grieving families -what profit is there to be extracted from a man once he's dead, except by an undertaker? They passed off his belongings as carelessly as they are letting these guys get slaughtered.

I have such a hard time believing that some communities actually want these private prisons in their backyards. They dehumanize staff as much as they do the prisoners. That's got to have an effect on the ethos of a town...

What do the people of Eloy say about all this anyway? They welcomed CCA with dollar signs in their own eyes: Are they ethical business men and women willing to take responsibility for the consequences of their investment? Do they have a human rights committee overseeing prisons in their town, holding these people accountable? Or do they just rant when articles come out about these things, then quietly wash their hands of the blood spilled in their presence?

What do the people of Eloy have to say to the people of Hawaii and - more pointedly - to this man's family? Why has your prison not been able to keep those in its custody and care safe from harm?

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Hawaii Family Seeking Answers About Inmate's Death

Snubbed By Arizona Prisons Officials

Denby Fawcett KITV 4 News Reporter

POSTED: 11:44 pm HST June 18, 2010

UPDATED: 3:15 pm HST June 19, 2010

KITV.com

HONOLULU -- Clifford Medina, 23, died in his prison cell at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Ariz., June 8.

Eloy police said Medina's cellmate, 21 year-old, Mahinauli Silva admitted to strangling Medina.

Loke Medeiros, Clifford Medina's aunt, and his sister, Roseanna Medeiros, flew to Arizona from their Puna, Hawaii, home Wednesday, hoping to find out what happened. They said felt they needed to travel to Arizona after receiving no information from Hawaii prisons officials.Clifford Medina was among 1900 Hawaii inmates in Saguaro. Hawaii has been sending inmates to the privately run Arizona prison since 2007 to ease prison overcrowding here.

Roseanna Medina said she and her aunt went to Saguaro Correctional Center Friday to ask for an appointment with prison warden Todd Thomas. They were told the warden was too busy to see them. Then, they said another official brought them a box of Clifford Medina's personal belongings, asked them to sign for it, and then turned on his heels without saying another word to them.

"It was very disappointing," said Roseanna Medeiros. "There are so many questions we hoped to have answered, and so much we wanted to find out that only the prison staff could have told us."

"They were just rude," said Loke Medeiros. "I couldn't believe they wouldn't talk to us.Medina was serving time for burglary, theft, jumping bail and assaulting a law enforcement officer."Even though he was in prison, he should have been safe. It's very sad," said Roseanna Medeiros.

A team of investigators from Hawaii has been at Arizona prison since Tuesday to investigate Medina's death.

Medina is the second Hawaii inmate to be killed at Saguaro Correctional Center in less than four months. Bronson Nunuha of Maui died of multiple stab wounds in the neck February 18. Two Hawaii inmates, Miti Maugaotega and Micah Kanahele, were indicted May 20 on first degree- murder and gang related charges in Nunuha's killing. A spokesman with the Pinal County attorney's office prosecuting the Nunuha case said the prosecutor is reviewing a possible death penalty sentence if the two defendants are convicted.

Clifford Medina's aunt and sister said they will remain in Arizona next week still hoping to get a better sense of why he died, and why more was not done to protect him and to supervise the inmate police say killed him.

They said they don't want it to happen to anyone else.

CCA, Nunuha, and the right to life.

Hawaii inmates complain about safety in Arizona prison

Posted: Jun 17, 2010 1:07 AM EDT

Hawaii News Now

By Tim Sakahara - bio | email

Two Hawaii inmates were murdered in the last four months at a prison in Arizona and tonight we're hearing more complaints about safety.

Miti Maugaotega and Micah Kanahele were indicted on first degree murder charges. They're accused of stabbing fellow Hawaii inmate Bronson Nunuha several times in February. Investigators believe it was a gang murder. Nunuha was set to be released in October.

Both suspects were already serving lengthy prison terms. Kanahele was serving 25 years for shooting and killing a man in an Aiea carport, then killing another man in the parking lot of the Longs Drugs in Pearl City.

Maugaotega was described as a "walking crime wave" by a judge. He is serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for shooting a man in the chest during a home invasion in Punchbowl. Maugaotega was 17 at the time and had a lengthy criminal record.

Arizona prosecutors should decide in the next few days if they will pursue the death penalty option, even though Hawaii does not have capital punishment.

Earlier this month a second Hawaii inmate was killed. Mahinauli Silva is accused of strangling his cell mate Clifford Medina.

Among the complaints from inmates is that there aren't enough guards and they are denied "comfort moves," meaning if cell mates have problems with each other they are not moved until there's an assault or worse.

Just today State Senator Will Espero received a letter from an inmate at Saguaro Correctional Facility in Arizona complaining about housing conditions and their safety.

"If you get this letter I guess it's an I told you so," Espero read from the letter. "Help before it gets worse and more people die or get hurt. There's a lot to this death that you don't know and may never know."

He's got a drawer full of these types of letters.

"Inmates are human beings too and have needs and must be dealt with properly or else if you treat them like animals they'll act like animals," said Espero.

It's not just letters. We spoke with an inmate by phone who wanted to remain anonymous for his safety.

"This facility (Saguaro) is greatly understaffed pursuant to the contract," he said. He also said he's worried about his safety, not necessarily from other inmates but from the prison staff.

Nearly 1,900 Hawaii inmates are incarcerated at Saguaro Prison in Arizona. The state says it pays Corrections Corporation of American $60 million a year to lock them up. That's about $43 million a year cheaper than keeping them here in Hawaii.

But some feel the savings isn't worth the cost. Meaning with a private company making money the public gets no accountability.

"I think the system was broken in the first place. The problem is we contract with a facility or a company that has no incentive to provide rehabilitative services. It's a for profit operation," said Myles Breiner, Attorney. "No one is saying let's coddle these people but you have to balance out. The reality is every single individual, the vast majority are going to return to Hawaii so we have every reason in the world to treat these people in a way where they can come back into the community and not be a risk and we're not doing that. We're closing our eyes. I want accountability."

"You know if they really want to complain about it don't do the crime," said Peter Carlisle, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney.

Carlisle says it's prison. It's not supposed to be a cake walk and sending them to Arizona is the best option otherwise they'd kill each other in Hawaii.

"We've had deaths in all of our prison systems here in the State of Hawaii. We've had people killed in prison regularly, we've had people commit suicide, when you're dealing with an unstable and dangerous population like this it's not unusual for them to do the most horrendous, horrific and violent acts," said Carlisle.

Today Hawaii Department of Public Safety Director Clayton Frank said he's heard the complaints, but says the prison's process is appropriate and he has not seen anything that would raise a red flag.

He also says Saguaro is accredited by the American Correctional Association, which is difficult to get. None of Hawaii's prisons accredited.

Hawaii, Outsourcing Prisoners, and the Death Penalty.

This comes via Ken's list-serve at Private Corrections Working Group. Hit them up for rap sheets on CCA and all these private prison profiteers, too.

This is a fascinating article about the implications of shipping one's prisoners out of state - in this case, from Hawaii, which abolished the death penalty, to Arizona, which employs it with glee. It comes down to what we value most - life or profit/"savings". If Hawaiians value life, they'll bring their people home sooner rather than later, and keep them there.

These journalists in Honolulu rock...follow them for news as the Hawaiian prisoner murders unfold.

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http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20100616_2_inmates_could_face_death_penalty_in_killing.html

2 inmates could face death penalty in killing

By Mary Vorsino

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jun 16, 2010

Honolulu StarAdvertiser.com

Two Hawaii inmates charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of a fellow Hawaii inmate at the Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona could face the death penalty if convicted.

The two are the first to face capital punishment for a crime committed in a private prison on the mainland since Hawaii started housing inmates out of state in 1995.

Because Hawaii has no death penalty, some legal advocates say the case could be unprecedented in the nation. Some also argue the situation raises new questions about the practice of sending inmates out of state to serve their sentences.

State Department of Public Safety officials say they are monitoring the case, but it doesn't appear they plan to step in to urge Arizona to take the death penalty off the table.

"When you commit a crime in a different state, it's a crime that is addressed with that state," said DPS Director Clayton Frank. "We abide by the laws of that respective state."

The two inmates -- Miti Maugaotega Jr., 24, and Micah Kanahele, 29 -- were indicted on first-degree murder and gang-related charges May 20 in the killing of Bronson Nunuha, 26, who was found in his cell at Saguaro on Feb. 18 with multiple stab wounds.

Maugaotega was serving a life sentence for first-degree attempted murder in the June 2003 shooting of Punchbowl resident Eric Kawamoto. Kanahele was serving two 20-year sentences for the October 2003 shooting deaths of Greg Morishima at his Aiea home and Guylan Nuuhiwa in a Pearl City parking lot a week later.

Nunuha was behind bars for three counts of second-degree burglary.

News that Maugaotega and Kanahele could face the death penalty comes as the state is investigating a second killing of a Hawaii inmate at Saguaro.

Clifford Medina, 23, was killed June 8 at Saguaro, and his cellmate, also a Hawaii inmate, is in custody in connection with the case.

Yesterday, Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, the acting governor while Gov. Linda Lingle is traveling in Asia, said the killings highlight the need to take a closer look at security at Saguaro and could prompt the state to move inmates from the facility.

But he said he would have to do more research before weighing in on whether the state should voice opposition on the two inmates facing the death penalty.

Some 1,871 male Hawaii inmates are at Saguaro, a 1,897-bed prison in Eloy, Ariz., owned by Corrections Corp. of America. About 50 more are at a separate CCA prison in Arizona.

The state spends about $61 million a year to house male inmates on the mainland because there is not enough room for them at Hawaii prisons. Last year, allegations by female Hawaii inmates of widespread sexual abuse by guards and employees at a CCA facility in Kentucky prompted the state to pull all 168 of its female inmates from the prison and bring them back to the islands to serve their time.

A spokesman with the Pinal County Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting the Nunuha case, said the death penalty is within sentencing guidelines in a first-degree murder case.

He declined further comment because the case is ongoing.

Fifteen states, including Hawaii, do not have the death penalty.

state Sen. Will Espero, chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee, said the Nunuha case could prompt more discussion on the implications of shipping Hawaii inmates out of state.

Espero added he wants to learn more about the killing before trying to determine whether the state should stand in the way of a death penalty sentencing.

"Quite frankly, it was a cold-blooded murder," he said. "I'm sure you will find people in Hawaii that say they deserve (to face) the death penalty."

But, he added, "these cases really do show the need to come up with a plan to bring home our prisoners one day."

Opponents of the death penalty say the case raises legal questions. In a statement, ACLU Hawaii said it hopes Arizona will "respect Hawaii's history and tradition of rejecting capital punishment in their treatment of Hawaii's inmates."

ACLU also said Nunuha's killing is "just one of a morbid series of events showing the need for independent oversight" of CCA's contract with Hawaii. The group urged the governor to sign a bill into law that calls for an audit of the state's contract with CCA.

Hawaii DPS to investigate AZ prison.

Wonder why they wouldn't be confident in AZ ADC or DPS investigating CCA ourselves?

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State to investigate killing of island inmate in Arizona
By Mary Vorsino
Star Advertiser

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST,
Jun 15, 2010

Amid growing scrutiny of the state's practice of shipping inmates to the mainland, a state Department of Public Safety team left for Arizona yesterday to investigate the killing of a 23-year-old Hawaii inmate at Saguaro Correctional Center.

Arizona authorities expect to charge a 21-year-old Hawaii inmate in connection with the killing at Saguaro, a private prison in Arizona where nearly 1,900 Hawaii inmates are housed.

BY THE NUMBERS
1,871 male inmates at Saguaro
1,897 beds at Saguaro
$61 million per year to house male inmates on mainland

Eloy, Ariz., police said Mahinauli Silva strangled his cellmate, Clifford Medina, while the prison was in lockdown on last Tuesday.

The killing is the second of a Hawaii inmate on the mainland this year and is prompting calls for new attention to the out-of-state prison population.

State Sen. Will Espero, chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee, said the two inmate deaths raise serious questions about the state's policy of shipping out inmates and will undoubtedly raise the prominence of the discussion in the 2011 legislative session.

"Maybe this could give us a reason to pause," he said, adding that the Hawaii team in Arizona to investigate Medina's death needs to answer this question: "Is this prison unsafe, and are there some major security breaches?"

Meanwhile, Medina's family said they are not getting any details on the killing from the state Department of Public Safety and plan to travel to Arizona to look into the death themselves.

"It's so frustrating," said Loke Medeiros, Medina's aunt. "No one from Public Safety talks to us."
Medeiros said that Medina had cognitive disabilities and attention deficit disorder and had recently been placed in isolation. As a result, he could call his family only once a month.

"The day of his death was the day he was supposed to call home," said Medeiros, of Puna. "He had told us he was in what they call the hole."

DPS Director Clayton Frank said he had not gotten official word yesterday on Medina's cause of death and so could not comment on the case. But he did say the DPS team would be working with Eloy police and with prison officials to investigate what happened and evaluate security at the facility.

Some 1,871 male Hawaii inmates are at Saguaro, a 1,897-bed prison owned by Corrections Corp. of America. About 50 more are at a separate CCA prison in Arizona.

The state spends about $61 million a year to house male inmates on the mainland because there is not enough room for them at Hawaii prisons. Last year, allegations by female Hawaii inmates of widespread sexual abuse by guards and employees at a CCA facility in Kentucky prompted the state to pull all 168 of its female inmates from the prison and bring them back to the islands to serve their time.

Silva, the suspect in the killing last week, remains in custody at the Saguaro Correctional Center and is expected to be charged today or tomorrow, said Sgt. Michelle Tarango, of the Eloy Police Department.

Police did not provide information yesterday on a motive in the killing and could not say why the prison was in lockdown.

Tarango said Silva confessed in police custody to strangling his cellmate, then waiting a "short while" before pushing an emergency button to call for guards.

Medina was sent to Arizona about six months ago and was serving time for first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, two counts of second-degree burglary, second-degree theft and bail jumping. He would have been eligible for parole in 2012.

Silva was serving time for burglary and theft.

Saguaro was also the site of the stabbing death of Bronson Nunuha on Feb. 18. Two Hawaii inmates -- Micah Kanahele and Miti Maugaotega Jr. have been indicted on first-degree murder charges in the case.

Nunuha was the first Hawaii inmate killed in a private prison on the mainland since the state started housing inmates out of state in 1995, though others have been seriously assaulted.

Officials have said Nunuha's death appeared to be gang-related. There are no indications Medina's death was linked to gangs.

Suspect arrested in CCA murder at Saguaro

Cellmate arrested in death of Hawaii inmate
By Mary Vorsino
Star Advertiser
POSTED: 10:54 a.m. HST, Jun 14, 2010

Arizona police are questioning a 21-year-old Hawaii inmate in the death of his cellmate, a 23-year-old Hawaii man, last week at the Saguaro Correction Center.

Mahinauli Silva is expected to be charged with second-degree murder.

Eloy, Ariz., police said Silva admitted to strangling his cellmate, Clifford Medina, in their cell last Tuesday when the prison was in lockdown.

Police had no immediate information on a motive in the killing.

Officials had earlier declined to confirm how Medina was killed. Medina was found unresponsive in his cell Tuesday morning.

An emergency medical services team tried unsuccessfully to revive him, according to a brief statement from the Corrections Corp. of America, which operates Saguaro.

CCA Eloy: Investigation of prisoner deaths.

Isle inmate's death sparks investigation


By Mary Adamski

POSTED: 01:30 a.m.
HST, Jun 11, 2010
The Star Advertiser

The second death this year of a Hawaii inmate in an Arizona prison is setting off alarm bells with the state Department of Public Safety and lawmakers who want to scrutinize the arrangement of outsourcing local felons to privately operated mainland lockups.

Two investigators from the Public Safety Department will leave next week for Eloy, Ariz., where about 1,900 Hawaii prisoners are held at Saguaro Correctional Center.

No cause of death has been released yet for Clifford Medina, 23, who was found unresponsive in his cell Tuesday morning. An emergency medical services team tried unsuccessfully to revive him, according to a brief statement from the Corrections Corp. of America, which operates Saguaro.

"It is critical for us to find out what the autopsy says," said Public Safety Director Clayton Frank. "If this was something where we knew a person had a health-related reason, it would be one thing. But this is out of the ordinary because of his age. ... From what we got from the facility, the cellmate called officials indicating (Medina) was unresponsive."

State investigators also went to Arizona after Bronson Nunuha, 26, was found dead from multiple stab wounds in his cell Feb. 18. He was the first Hawaii inmate killed in a private mainland prison since 1995, when the state began shipping prisoners away.

"What we found that time was the facility did whatever it could have done," Frank said. "I think they responded appropriately under the circumstances."

Two Hawaii inmates were indicted three weeks ago on capital murder charges for Nunuha's death. They are Miti Maugaotega Jr., 24, serving a life sentence for first-degree attempted murder in the June 2003 shooting of Punchbowl resident Eric Kawamoto, and Micah Kanahele, 29, serving two 20-year sentences for the October 2003 shooting deaths of Greg Morishima at his Aiea home and Guylan Nuuhiwa in a Pearl City parking lot a week later.

The judge originally gave Maugaotega 11 life sentences for several charges stemming from the Punchbowl break-in and an earlier burglary in which he sexually assaulted and beat a 55-year-old woman.

The state Legislature sent to Gov. Linda Lingle for review a bill calling for an independent audit of the state's contract with Corrections Corp.

"We need to re-evaluate the security and safety of Saguaro and our inmates and see if this is the best place and time to house our inmates," said Sen. Will Espero, chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee.

Medina was sent to Arizona about six months ago, Frank said. He was serving time for first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, two counts of second-degree burglary, second-degree theft and bail jumping. He would have been eligible for parole in 2012.
Nunuha, who was incarcerated for three counts of second-degree burglary, was scheduled to return to the islands in a few months to prepare for his release on Oct. 31.

Another Hawaii inmate dead at CCA Eloy Prison

Investigators Look Into Inmate Death

Hawaii Inmate Housed In Ariz. Prison


POSTED: 5:36 pm HST June 9, 2010


UPDATED: 6:18 pm HST June 9, 2010

HONOLULU -- State public safety investigators are heading to Arizona to look into the death of a Hawaii inmate at a private prison.

Clifford Medina, 23, is the second Hawaii inmate to die at the Saquaro Correctional Facility in Eloy, Ariz., in five months.
Public safety director Clayton Frank said Medina was found unresponsive in his cell at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
His cause of death has not yet been determined.
Medina was serving time for multiple offenses including assault against a law enforcement officer, second-degree theft, second-degree burglary and third-degree assault.
On Feb. 18, Bronson Nunuha, of Maui, was killed at the prison.
Two other Hawaii inmates have been charged with murder in Nunuha's death.