AB 1222

This bill creates the Office of the Ombudsperson for Corrections, attached to the Department of Administration. The office is under the direction of an ombudsperson, who is appointed by the governor and approved by the senate. Under the bill, the ombudsperson accepts complaints regarding facilities, abuse, unfair acts, and violations of rights of prisoners from prisoners in state adult and juvenile correctional facilities or under the supervision of community corrections. Under the bill, prisoners, staff and contractors at state facilities or under the supervision of community corrections, family members of prisoners, and members of the community may file a complaint. The ombudsperson is required to distribute a complaint form and self-sealing envelopes to all correctional institutions operated by a state agency and those facilities are required to make the forms and envelopes readily available to prisoners. Under the bill, staff members of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Corrections are required to regularly pick up the sealed envelopes that contain the complaint forms. Only employees of the office are allowed to open the envelopes. If the ombudsperson determines to make a recommendation to the facility where the prisoner is housed, or to the operator of a community corrections service, the operator has 30 days to respond to the recommendations of the ombudsperson.

Also under the bill, the Office of the Ombudsperson for Corrections is required to establish and maintain an online dashboard of complaint information and to annually publish a report of its findings and recommendations and to report to the governor and the chief clerk of each house of the legislature. Finally, the bill authorizes 26 full-time equivalent GPR positions for the Office of the Ombudsperson for Corrections and provides that the ombudsperson may appoint a deputy ombudsperson in the classified service.