November 17, 2022
Dear Stakeholders:
The Office of the Corrections Ombuds is pleased to share these updates on our work.
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Eight people now have the pay they earned while reducing wildfires, responding to natural disasters, and helping to restore the health of our forests
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DOC and DNR are working to finalize a new interagency agreement so that earned fire crew gratuities are not withheld again
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In October, the OCO staff closed 311 investigative complaints
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Monthly Outcome Reports (MORs) are available in all DOC Law Libraries
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MORs should immediately be available on Unity (the new tablets)
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MORs are uploaded monthly to the existing JPay tablets (the old tablets)
In FY 2022, the OCO’s small and dedicated staff:
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Opened 3,024 cases representing complaints from, or about, 1,631 incarcerated individuals
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Resolved 2,636 complaints:
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#1 frequent complaints: COVID-19
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#2 frequent complaints: Discipline for incarcerated individuals
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Increased our number of received complaints by 97% in comparison to FY 2021
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Received an average of 500+ calls for assistance each month through our hotline
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Negotiated hundreds of positive outcomes for people who are incarcerated and system-wide changes
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Published:
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Nine monthly outcome reports
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Five Systemic Reports
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Nineteen OCO comments on proposed DOC policy updates
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You asked and we listened - now, each completed facility visit will be posted on our website with a summary of where we went and what we did
As we enter the holiday season, the OCO team is staying anchored in the present moment by practicing gratitude. We are grateful for the many ways that you support the OCO and our work to increase positive outcomes for the incarcerated people we serve.
Caitlin Robertson, PhD
Director, Office of the Corrections Ombuds
