Confirmed or suspected suicides accounted for more than half of all deaths at Hālawa Correctional Facility, Hawaiʻi’s largest prison, over the past two years, according to data compiled by Honolulu Civil Beat.
The data, drawn from autopsies and other public documents, indicates that prisoners in the Hawaiʻi correctional system continue to experience an abnormally high suicide rate. At Hālawa, eight of the 15 deaths reported in the last two years were confirmed or suspected suicides. Across the entire statewide system, suicides represented one-third of all deaths during 2024 and 2025.
Corrections officials are currently seeking millions of dollars in funding to hire dozens of additional healthcare workers, aiming to improve mental health services within the state’s prisons. This request comes as the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has faced repeated lawsuits related to suicides in its facilities, and recently allowed national experts to inspect the system, according to reporting from Civil Beat.
A surge in deaths within Hawaiʻi’s correctional facilities mirrors a national trend. In Massachusetts, the Department of Correction is also facing scrutiny following six suspected and confirmed suicides in its custody during 2025. Prisoners’ Legal Services in Massachusetts has criticized the Department’s response, arguing that an independent investigation should have been launched after the first suicide, particularly within units designed to support inmates with mental illness. The organization noted that many of the suicides in Massachusetts occurred in the behavioral assessment unit at MCI-Norfolk or the residential treatment unit at Souza-Baranowski, both specialized units for individuals with behavioral challenges.
Between October 22, 2024, and October 22, 2025, there were 28 deaths in Massachusetts Department of Correction custody, more than double the 12 deaths recorded in the previous year, according to Prisoners’ Legal Services. Twelve of those deaths were categorized as “expected” due to the age or illness of the inmates.
Hawaii corrections officials, through the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission, are addressing the issue. Christin Johnson and Mark Patterson, leaders of the commission, discussed the need for improved mental health services during an education board meeting in November 2025, as reported by Honolulu Civil Beat.
