The supreme court, the highest in the state, consists of a chief justice and four associate justices, all of them appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. All serve 10-year terms, up to the mandatory retirement age of 70.
The state is divided into four judicial circuits with 27 circuit court judges and 4 intermediate appellate court judges, also appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate to 10-year terms. Circuit courts are the main trial courts, having jurisdiction in most civil and criminal cases. District courts, whose judges are appointed by the chief justice with the advice and consent of the senate to 6-year terms, function as inferior courts within each judicial circuit; district court judges may also preside over family court proceedings. Hawaii also has a land court and a tax appeal court.
According to the FBI Crime Index, Hawaii's crime rate in 2001 totaled 5,386.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, including a total of 3,117 violent crimes and 62,830 property crimes in that year. There were 5,412 inmates held in correctional institutions as of June 2001, an increase of 7.1% from the previous year. Hawaii does not have a death penalty.