DCR News Release – Graduation Ceremony for 13 New Adult Corrections Officers

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

 

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION

     KA ‘OIHANA HOʻOMALU KALAIMA A HOʻOPONOPONO OLA

     JOSH GREEN, M.D.

     GOVERNOR

     KE KIAʻĀINA

     TOMMY JOHNSON

     DIRECTOR

     KA LUNA HO‘OKELE

 

GRADUATION CEREMONY FOR 13 NEW ADULT CORRECTIONS OFFICERS

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 21, 2025

HONOLULU — The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) welcomed a new class of 13 adult corrections officers (ACO) at a graduation ceremony Friday, March 21, 2025, at the State Capitol auditorium. The graduates from Basic Corrections Recruit Class (BCRC) 25-01 completed training and will begin their careers as Adult Corrections Officers in facilities across the state.

 

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Director Tommy Johnson said, “I am proud of all graduates who completed the rigorous training course.”

 

Since the January 2024 restructuring of the DCR from the Department of Public Safety (PSD), DCR doubled its recruit classes to six classes from three classes a year. The increase is part of DCR’s aggressive recruitment efforts to fill vacant positions statewide.

 

“Recruitment for ACO positions is a priority for us,” Director Johnson said.

Currently, there are approximately 450 vacant ACO positions and 1,085 filled ACO positions to date.

The BCRC is an eight-week training course that includes more than 300 hours of classroom instruction and physical training. Recruits learn a variety of subjects that include standards of conduct, ethics and professionalism, report writing, interpersonal communications, maintaining security, crisis intervention, security threat groups (gangs), mental health, first aid, use of firearms and self-defense tactics.

DCR’s mission is to provide a secure correctional environment for comprehensive rehabilitative, holistic, wraparound reentry services including culturally based approaches to individuals sentenced to our custody and care. Our goal is to reduce recidivism and generational incarceration and security of our communities.

All incoming classes receive Recruit Field Training along with Basic Corrections Training. During the final weeks of training, they go into the facility where they begin their jobs with guidance from their training sergeants.

The 13 graduates have been assigned to the following jails and prisons:

• Hālawa Correctional Facility: 2
• Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center: 7
• Oʻahu Community Correctional Center: 1
• Kauaiʻi Community Correctional Center: 3

Please visit the following link for photos and videos of the BCRC graduation: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zGp-LS39gAS8jwHitDwm-tdi73Ru1vLl?usp=sharing.

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Media Contact:

Rosemarie Bernardo

Public Information Officer

Hawai‘i Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Office: 808-587-1358

Cell: 808-683-5507

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://dcr.hawaii.gov