HRS §583A-315
When state lawyers can help find or return a child
This section says the attorney general or county prosecutor may take legal action to find a child, get a child returned, or enforce a custody order in certain situations. They act for the court, not for either parent or guardian. They can act if there is a custody order, a court request, a possible crime, or a wrongful removal under the Hague Convention.
childrencourtsparentsstate agencies
The statute, as written — Role of attorney general and of prosecuting attorneys
(a) In a case arising under this chapter or involving the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, the attorney general or the county prosecuting attorney, as appropriate, may take any lawful action, including resort to a proceeding under this part or any other available civil proceeding, to locate a child, obtain the return of a child, or enforce a child-custody determination if there is: (1) An existing child-custody determination; (2) A request to do so from a court in a pending child-custody proceeding; (3) A reasonable belief that a criminal statute has been violated; or (4) A reasonable belief that the child has been wrongfully removed or retained in violation of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. (b) The attorney general or county prosecuting attorney, as appropriate, acting under this section acts on behalf of the court and shall not represent any party.
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