State funds Kona Women’s Court, a pilot program starting in September

When Zerica Pangelinan entered Big Island Drug Court in 2019, crystal meth and alcohol had sent her to a dark place. She was broken, overcome with fear and hopelessness.

“I did anything to get my fix,” she said. “I grew up in a broken home and have been through every abuse you can think of. I was living house to house, jumping from man to man.”

Her life changed, she said, when she entered the “super structured program” of drug court: “I needed something other than myself to hold me accountable.”

Pangelinan, who graduated from drug court in 2022 and has been sober for five years, now is a member of the Women’s Advisory Committee for the new Kona Women’s Court.

Last week, Gov. Josh Green signed the bill into law that expands the women’s court program, which began two years ago on Oʻahu with the Mohala Wahine program in the First Circuit.

The Kona District Court will receive a little more than $1 million for the two-year pilot project to create a Women’s Division of the Big Island Drug Court. It will start with about 14 women.

The new legislation also will make the O‘ahu women’s court a permanent program.

Established on the Big Island in 2002, drug court addresses community problems related to substance abuse by providing treatment for youth and adults facing drug-related charges instead of putting them in jail.

Big Island Drug Court’s holistic approach protects the Hawai‘i Island community, supports the long-term recovery and success of participants, and reduces criminal justice system costs, according to the drug court website.

Court participants are required to undergo substance abuse treatment, regular drug testing, make regular appearances before a judge as well as obtain employment.

Third Circuit Court Chief Judge Wendy DeWeese, who presides over the Big Island Drug Court and the Big Island Veterans Treatment Court in Kona, said the women’s court will be a good addition to those programs.

“I don’t think it’s a newsflash that women and men in the justice system have different issues,” DeWeese said. “Women are much more often trying to be a parent or a caregiver on top of everything else they’re going through, which adds a layer of complexity. Men are not typically custodial figures for their children.”

DeWeese said many women in the judicial system also have a significant history of sexual or physical abuse.

“They have PTSD, trauma and have been long victimized by others, which is why they turn to alcohol or drugs,” she said.

She added: “You can’t treat a 30-year-old woman the way you treat a 50-year-old man. For so long, we’ve treated them exactly the same, and it’s proven not to address their needs.”

She said the women’s court will be able to target women’s distinct needs and specific trauma history.

The biggest and most immediate benefit to women within the program is separate review hearings for the women. In Kona, there have been some hearings by gender, with positive feedback.

“There is a general comfort level for women speaking in front of women and to women,” DeWeese said.

As someone who’s been through the judicial system, Pangelinan said a lot of women feel overlooked and that men can be triggers for women trying to recover.

“For women, we have a lot of trauma. We are sensitive,” she said. “For me, it was a lot easier to recover around women. Women empower women. We understand each other. We relate and connect.”

The women’s court also will help with their mental health and stability. Grayson Hashida, drug court coordinator, said the program will establish a safe house to provide temporary housing for the women in the program so they don’t have to go back to their abusive situations or homelessness.

Hashida said the Women’s Advisory Committee, with people on it who have been through recovery, has been instrumental in establishing the specific needs and resources.

“We’re very limited on resources here,” Pangelinan said. “With this new court, it will open new doors for women. I really think it will be successful.”

Pangelinan is especially excited to help establish more housing for women in recovery, saying: “That’s my biggest hope.”

The court is starting with 14 women who are currently in the drug court program. DeWeese said the team is still in the planning phases on how they will determine eligibility and suitability.

“A clear criterion hasn’t been set, but it’s meant to target high-risk and high-need women,” DeWeese said.

After the program is underway, Hashida said additional women who are currently in the judicial system but not in the drug court program, will be looked at for the women’s court.