Hawai’i Jail Violence and Institutional Failures: Who Really Runs the OCCC?

In a swift verdict that raises serious questions about law enforcement and institutional oversight, a Honolulu jury found three alleged gang leaders not guilty of manslaughter following the brutal 2023 beating death of inmate Chris Vaefaga inside the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC). This controversial acquittal—reached after only hours of deliberation—pulls back the curtain on a prison system where gangs wield disturbing control, and corrections officers appear either powerless or complicit. How Did Prison Gangs Take Over One of America’s Jails? The trial exposed how two dominant gangs, known as West Side and the censored-in-court “Murder Inc.,” effectively ran Module...