Yes, Paying Restitution is Possible: How Hawaii is Changing the Narrative on Victim Restitution

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Kathy Buckley has been part of the field of victims’ services for over 25 years. She began her career providing direct services to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and other serious crimes. Soon thereafter, Kathy dedicated 14 years as the Director of Victim Services at the Office of the Victim Advocate (OVA) where she was responsible for the statewide program of post sentencing victim notification and services in the Department of Corrections. Kathy subsequently became the Manager of Pennsylvania’s Victim Services Program at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency where she oversaw the annual distribution of approximately $100 million dollars in state and federal funding to victim service programs. As the administrator of VOCA funding for Pennsylvania, Kathy oversaw the strategic planning and analysis of victim service funding needs for an integrated plan to effectively meet the needs of crime victims throughout the Commonwealth. Most recently, in her work with the Council of State Government, Kathy works in states related to restitution, compensation and assistance and other public safety needs.

Pamela Ferguson-Brey has served as the Executive Director for Hawaii’s Crime Victim Compensation Commission since 1999. After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Entomology, Ms. Ferguson-Brey went on to earn her law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii. She served as the Executive Director of the Commission on the Status of Women, as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu prosecuting family abuse cases and as the Prosecutor’s legislative liaison, and as a Deputy Attorney General in Child Abuse and Neglect cases. Ms. Ferguson-Brey received the 1994 Hawaii Women Lawyer of the Year award, in part, for her efforts to establish the Hawaii’s Missing Child Center. She initiated the first month long Women’s Health Month and received an Outstanding Achievement Award for that project from the National Association of Commissions for Women. In April 2013, Ms. Ferguson-Brey was honored with the Crime Victims Financial Restoration Award by United States Attorney General Eric Holder for her efforts to improve restitution collection for crime victims in Hawai‘i, and in April 2019 she received the Loretta “Deliana” Fuddy Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT).

Tommy Johnson is currently the Paroles and Pardons Administrator for the Hawaii Paroling Authority (HPA), a position he has held since 2001. He previously served in Hawaii as a youth corrections officer and in Arizona as a Correctional Service Officer. He also served as the Deputy Director for Corrections of the Department of Public Safety from June 2007 to December 2010 when he returned to his current position. He has extensive experience in all facets of corrections, parole operations and management. His expertise, knowledge, and leadership have been instrumental in the success of the HPA in reducing recidivism, staff training and development, restitution collections, and other key areas. Mr. Johnson grew up in Philadelphia Pennsylvania where he joined the U.S. Army. He was assigned to various positions of increasing responsibility, including, the U.S Military Academy, West Point, U.S. Military Traffic Management Command and U.S. Consulate, Istanbul Turkey, U.S. Intelligence Center and School, and Goodfellow Air Force Base, TX. Mr. Johnson earned many distinguished awards, including the Bronze Star for Operation Desert Storm, several Meritorious Service Medals, and numerous service awards. He also earned Bachelor of Science Degrees in Business Administration and Management from Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, New York.

Amanda Sawa has worked for both the compensation and restitution divisions of the Crime Victim Compensation Commission since 2009, and currently serves as the Justice Reinvestment Restitution Accountability Project Coordinator. She is also the co-chair of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative Victim Restitution Workgroup, which is an inter-agency team tasked with improving restitution management and increasing restitution collections for the state of Hawaii. Ms. Sawa also oversaw the development of the Commission’s new Compensation and Restitution Management System database which was launched in February 2016. Ms. Sawa received a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies, with a minor in Asian American Studies, from Stanford University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 2012, Ms. Sawa received the Public Administration Program Core Year Student Award.