Dear Mr. << Name removed >> << Name removed >> , This responds to your request sent yesterday asking for next of kin information for all inmates. A copy of your request is attached below. Your request is denied in its entirety based on the exemptions and laws cited below. HRS 92F-12 explicitly lists which government record shall be made available for public inspection and duplication. Next of kin information is not listed as part of HRS 92F-12. All other government records are open to public inspection but subject to restriction or closure by law. Next of kin information for each inmate is exempted from disclosure under HRS 92F-13(1) and through the right to privacy under sections 6 and 7 of Article I of the Hawaii Constitution. Inmates must individually authorize disclosure of their next of kin information to third party requestor. Additionally, release of next of kin information triggers an invasion of personal privacy of a third-party individual (both the next of kin and the inmate). The privacy interests here outweighs any public interest in disclosure - an inmate may not necessarily want others to know who is their next of kin as it can identify private information about one's family and friends to those who might wish harm to an inmate, nor does a next of kin necessarily wish to be associated to a known inmate through public records. Even when such information is part of a releasable record, OIP has already opined that departments must withhold the information that trigger a privacy interest from public disclosure. See, generally, Hawaii OIP Op. No. 93-16, 95-16, 05-03, and 06-04. You should also know this department has, as a matter of past practice, required explicit court orders when next of kin information is being requested by third parties and absent individual authorization by the inmate. Sechyi Laiu ( <<email address>> ) Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation, LCO DPO ________________________________ From: << Name removed >> << Name removed >> <<name and email address> > Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2026 4:46 AM To: DCR.Office.of.the.Director < <name and email address> > Subject: [EXTERNAL] Records Request for Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: Inmate Next of Kin/Emergency Contact Information [#1700] Aloha, Pursuant to the public records law, I would like to request the following records in electronic format sent to my email address. Hello- We are requesting all inmate next of kin contact information (or emergency contact information), alongside each incarcerated person. We're hoping to help reduce recidivism rates and operate charitably in helping inmates connect to their family more often. Hawaii Statutes explicitly designates this information as public, as it is not listed under any exceptions clauses. We would prefer to receive this electronically, as a spreadsheet, if possible. Thanks so much for your attention to this matter. Please let us know if you have any questions. Regards- << Name removed >> Mahalo, << Name removed >> << Name removed >>