Fathers reunite with keiki at Halawa Correctional Facility

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Incarcerated fathers at Halawa Correctional Facility (HCF) reunited with their keiki to celebrate Father’s Day Saturday.

HCF hosted the over three-hour Keiki Day event in collaboration with Keiki O Ka Aina (KOKA) Family Learning Centers, and fathers and their keiki enjoyed games, arts and crafts, a barbecue lunch, and shave ice.

The facility’s courtyard was decorated by staff and around 20 volunteers, which included floral arrangements of red ginger, birds of paradise, puakenikeni, plumerias, and ti leaves.

“It’s a blessing,” Donovan Duarte Jr. said. “I’m just super grateful.”

The Keiki Day was the first time that Duarte held his seven-month-old son.

Visitors to the facility are usually separated by a glass window, but the event allowed children and their fathers to be physically with each other.

“I think this is one real rewarding thing,” said Paul Abiley Jr.

It was the first time he had hugged his 12-year-old son in two years, and Abiley added that it served as motivation for him to do better.

HCF Warden Shannon Cluney said that fathers maintaining a positive bond with their children is crucial.

“At some point, these men are going to be returning to society, and we want to do what we can on this end to ensure that there’s a seamless transition as possible,” Cluney said.

The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that Saturday’s event was the second Keiki event HCF had previously held an event in April, and is planning for a third event later this year.

“Keiki Day events are critically important for fathers to maintain relationships with their children,” said DCR Director Tommy Johnson. “Family reunification plays a vital role in rehabilitation.”

“We’re really hoping that what happens is that dads make that decision, ‘When I’m out of here, I’m never coming back,’” said KOKA Executive Director Momi Akana.