GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CORRECTIONS APPOINTMENT

News Release from Office of the Governor, Nov 16, 2020

HONOLULU – Governor David Ige and the Department of Public Safety (PSD) today announced the appointment of Tommy Johnson to serve as the Deputy Director for Corrections in the Department of Public Safety, effective November 16, 2020.

Johnson is currently the Parole and Pardons Administrator for the Hawai‘i Paroling Authority (HPA), a position he has held since 2001. He also served as PSD’s Deputy Director for Corrections from June 2007 to December 2010, when he returned to his current HPA position.

“Tommy’s administrative experience at the Hawai‘i Paroling Authority and in his previous role as Public Safety’s Deputy Director for Corrections make him a perfect candidate to, again, take on the duties and responsibilities of the deputy director position. I am confident he will continue to provide effective leadership in his repeat role at PSD,” said Gov. Ige.

“Tommy has extensive knowledge and experience in all facets of corrections, parole operations and management.  I know through first-hand experience, he has been instrumental in the success of the Hawai‘i Paroling Authority in reducing recidivism, staff training and development, restitution collection and other key areas in corrections and criminal justice,” says Fred Hyun, PSD Acting Director.

“I’m looking forward to working with the entire PSD ‘ohana once again and assisting the department and the Corrections Division in moving forward with its corrections goals and objectives, and supporting the department’s overall mission,” said Johnson.

Johnson began his career in corrections 1996 as a Correctional Service Officer in Florence, Arizona. He moved to the Hawai‘i Youth Correctional Facility as a Youth Corrections Officer in 1997.  In 1999 he served as a Personnel Management Specialist for the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii before moving on to his current Hawai‘i Paroling Authority position in 2001.

The current Deputy Director for Corrections, Shari Kimoto, will be returning to her position as the Corrections Program Services Division (CPSD) Administrator. CPSD is responsible for implementing and monitoring correctional programs aimed at providing offenders within Hawai‘i’s correctional institution with education, nutrition, religion, substance abuse treatment, sex offender treatment, work force development, pro-social development and re-entry programming.  Many programs, such as inmate education, job/career readiness and social development programs had to be limited or suspended due to COVID-19 concerns.

“Through her steadfast leadership and collaboration with the correctional facilities, PSD Health Care Division and the Department of Health, Shari was instrumental in accomplishing the monumental task of bringing the COVID-19 outbreak at OCCC under control. Now I have asked her to focus her full attention on planning for the gradual restart of the suspended corrections programs, expanding re-entry programs and improving best-practices of other programs in her division. She is highly qualified and has my full support as the most capable administrator to handle this task,” said Acting Director Hyun.

The Public Safety Department deputy director appointments are not subject to Senate confirmation.