5 days ago
A program for women replacing judgment with compassion
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A Honolulu courtroom is taking a new approach by focusing on support and healing instead of punishment.
The Women's Court program helps women get their lives back on track and after a successful pilot program, lawmakers have voted to make it permanent with plans for expansion.
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For years, Abcede Keawe's life was defined by addiction and arrests.
'I quit trying because every time I try, I fail,' Keawe said.
Veronica Hanawahine had also given up hope.
'Something happened and from then on, my life was coming downhill,' she explained.
But that all changed when they walked into Judge Trish Morikawa's courtroom where healing, not punishment, took center stage.
Morikawa oversees Women's Court, a program offering women convicted of non-violent offenses who have faced trauma, addiction or mental illness a lifeline by leading with support and compassion
KHON sat down with Judge Morikawa to discuss the program she created three years ago, which recently became permanent.
'Court tends to be, it should be a negative thing. So it's so nice to have something positive come out of it,' Morikawa said. 'We're extremely grateful to the (legislature) cause it's a great program and you can see the change it's made, and it really saves money.'By empowering these women and teaching them life skills, they become self-sufficient and contributing members of society.
Morikawa said candidates are vetted before being accepted into the program. Space is limited to 50, but she says the most they've had is 35.
'I think people get worried that when we give when we do programs like this, you know that we're giving these people a free pass. That's not it at all,' Morikawa explained. 'They're willing to do the work and they need to earn what they're getting.'
She said that what many of them have been through is devastating, and they have never been given the support they needed to succeed.
'The sad thing is that a lot of these women have not had a lot of positive affirmations,' Morikawa said. 'They were not the ones who had their artwork on the refrigerator you know, they were not the ones that their parents came to their May Day program.'
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Hanawahine and Keawe have spent two years rebuilding their lives through the program with every goal met, they're now just weeks away from the moment they've worked so hard for: graduation.
'It was hard work, it was hard work but it was worth it for me,' Hanawahine said. 'It gave me hope to a new life.'
Beyond the milestones, they've learned to love themselves, set boundaries, accept their past and show up for others on the same path.
'All those doors that you have closed, those doors can be opened, you are the key to unlocking that door,' Keawe said.
Both Keawe and Hanawahine will be graduating from Women's Court in a ceremony at the Supreme Courtroom in front of their family and friends, along with four other women in the program on June 25.
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Morikawa said Women's Court hopes to help more women across the state and will be starting a pilot program on Hawaiʻi Island. They are also hoping to create an alumni program on Oʻahu to offer support and a sense of community for graduates.
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