Hawaii negotiates with Oklahoma's Creek Nation for new prison

Thursday, January 6th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Creek Nation Principal Chief Perry Beaver says the tribe has had preliminary discussions with Hawaiian officials about building a 2,300-bed prison to house Hawaiian inmates. "They just asked if we were interested," Beaver told the Tulsa World on Wednesday. "That's as far as it has gone."

In Honolulu, Public Safety Director Ted Sakai would not identify the tribe and said he didn't want to give too many details because the deal is in negotiation. Beaver also would not go into details, including whether additional discussions were planned and where such a facility might be located. "I'd rather not say anymore, because you know how rumors get started and everything," Beaver said.

Hawaii House Speaker Calvin Say, D-Palolo Valley-Kaimuki, said Gov. Ben Cayetano discussed the mainland prison idea during a private meeting with House majority Democrats on Tuesday. Some lawmakers were encouraged about the cost savings while others felt a need to look at the humanity side of inmates being separated from their families in Hawaii, Say said.

Hawaii, which also has explored housing inmates in Arizona, already houses prisoners at two Oklahoma locations: 355 inmates at Watonga and 82 at McCloud. The Creek Nation, headquartered at Okmulgee, takes in portions of Tulsa, Hughes, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Rogers, Seminole and Wagoner counties and all of Creek, Okfuskee and Okmulgee counties.