Sec. 18-81r. Ombudsman services.
Sec. 18-81r. Ombudsman services. (a) For the purposes of this section, "ombudsman services" includes (1) the receipt of complaints by the ombudsman from inmates
in the custody of the Department of Correction including inmates housed in other states,
regarding decisions, actions and omissions, policies, procedures, rules and regulations
of the department, (2) investigating such complaints, rendering a decision on the merits
of each complaint and communicating the decision to the complainant, (3) recommending to the Commissioner of Correction a resolution of any complaint found to have
merit, (4) recommending policy revisions to the department, and (5) publishing a quarterly report of all ombudsman services activities.
(b) The Department of Administrative Services shall contract for the provision of
ombudsman services and shall annually report the name of the person or persons with
whom the department has so contracted to the joint standing committee of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the Department of Correction in
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.
(c) Prior to any person in the custody of the Commissioner of Correction obtaining
ombudsman services, such person shall have reasonably pursued a resolution of the
complaint through any existing internal grievance or appellate procedures of the Department of Correction.
(d) All oral and written communications, and records relating thereto, between an
inmate and the ombudsman or a member of the ombudsman's staff, including, but not
limited to, the identity of a complainant, the details of a complaint and the investigative
findings and conclusions of the ombudsman shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed without the consent of the inmate, except that the ombudsman may disclose
without the consent of the inmate (1) such communications or records as may be necessary in order for the ombudsman to conduct an investigation and support any recommendations the ombudsman may make, or (2) the formal disposition of an inmate's complaint
when requested in writing by a court hearing such inmate's application for a writ of
habeas corpus that was filed subsequent to an adverse finding by the ombudsman on
such inmate's complaint.
(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, whenever in
the course of providing ombudsman services, the ombudsman or a member of the ombudsman's staff becomes aware of the commission or planned commission of a criminal
act or a threat to the health and safety of any individual or the security of a correctional
facility, the ombudsman shall notify the Commissioner of Correction or a facility administrator of such act or threat and the nature and target thereof.
(f) If the commissioner has a reasonable belief that an inmate has made or provided
to the ombudsman an oral or written communication concerning a safety or security
threat within the Department of Correction or directed against an employee of the department, the ombudsman shall provide to the commissioner all oral or written communications relevant to such threat.
(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 76, 131; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 105; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3, S. 60; P.A. 06-196,
S. 145.)
History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 effective July 1, 2001; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 amended Subsec. (b) to delete
condition that the commissioner contract for ombudsman services "within available appropriations", effective August
15, 2002; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3 amended Subsec. (b) to replace Commissioner of Correction with Department of
Administrative Services as the party responsible for contracting for the provision of ombudsman services and make a
technical change, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective June 7, 2006.