Independent institutions that check this jurisdiction's own power — audit, ombudsman, inspector general, civilian review, ethics, and grand-jury bodies established by statute.
The Hawaii State Auditor is appointed by a majority vote of the combined membership of both houses of the Legislature to an eight-year term, and the position is established in the state...
Read scorecard → 02 AuditCreated by Act 179 (2019), HRS Ch. 353L, the HCSOC oversees Hawaii's correctional system from within the Attorney General's office as an independent body. Five civilian members are appointed...
Read scorecard → 03 OmbudsmanThe Hawaii Ombudsman is a constitutional officer appointed by a majority vote of the combined membership of both houses of the Legislature to a six-year term. The office investigates complaints...
Read scorecard → 04 Ethics CommissionThe Hawaii State Ethics Commission is constitutionally established under Article XIV and enforces the Code of Ethics for all state employees and officers. Five members are appointed by the Governor.
Read scorecard → 05 Civilian ReviewThe LESB (est. 2018, HRS Ch. 139) is Hawaii's POST-equivalent decertification board housed within but independent of the Department of the Attorney General. Its 15 voting members include 9 LE...
Read scorecard →Hawaii's state-level law-enforcement oversight rests on two statutory bodies. The Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB, HRS Ch. 139, est. 2018) is a POST-style decertification board in the Attorney General's office; it holds subpoena power and binding decertification authority, but LE agency heads dominate its 15-member composition, leaving public members a minority. A state independent review board was repealed in 2022, leaving no body to independently investigate use-of-force incidents. The Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission (HRS Ch. 353L, est. 2019) oversees prisons and jails with full statutory records access; its five members are all civilian appointees and its coordinator may enter facilities without notice. The Ombudsman (HRS Ch. 96) and State Auditor (HRS Ch. 23) provide secondary accountability.