Criminal Justice Division

The Attorney General is charged with the authority to prosecute criminal violations in the State of Hawaii. Section 26-7 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes (H.R.S.) provides, “The department shall…prosecute cases involving violations of state laws.” Section 28-2 H.R.S. provides, “The attorney general shall be vigilant and active in detecting offenders against the laws of the State, and shall prosecute the same with diligence.”

The Criminal Justice Division is the criminal prosecution arm of the Attorney General. The Division concentrates on cases involving the following:

• crimes involving a state agency, employee or official
• crimes that have statewide impact or implications
• crimes committed in more than one county
• crimes where a county prosecutor has a conflict of interest, or who is otherwise unable or unwilling to prosecute a case

The Mission Statement of the Criminal Justice Division is “to serve as the state-wide prosecutorial arm of the Department of the Attorney General; to enforce the laws of the State of Hawaii; to ensure public safety through the just, efficient and effective administration of justice; and to advocate for the passage of laws that protect the people of Hawaii.”

• Drug Nuisance Abatement
• Hawaii Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce (HICAC)
• Medicaid Fraud Control Unit
• Tobacco Enforcement Unit
• Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004, as amended by
  the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Improvements
  Act of 2010, and the National Defense Authorization Act
  for Fiscal Year 2013 (LEOSA)
  

Effective July 18, 2014, the Department of the Attorney General’s Criminal Justice Division transferred administration of the State Asset Forfeiture Program to the Department of the Attorney General’s Civil Recoveries Division.

Please visit the new Asset Forfeiture Unit page:  https://ag.hawaii.gov/afp