What We Do
Prisoners and parolees may send issues that allege a violation of department policy or state law to the Ombudsman. It is important to understand that the Ombudsman’s office will not be able to investigate every issue sent to the office due to our limited number of staff. The Ombudsman statute states that all administrative remedies available to a complainant must be completed before the Ombudsman begins an investigation of the issue, except for issues regarding possible imminent health and safety concerns.
The Ombudsman’s office is not in a position to accept collect telephone calls, and in many cases will not be able to respond to a telephone request for assistance unless it is an emergency situation. It is the policy of the Ombudsman that before an investigation can begin we need to hear directly from the prisoner involved except in emergency situations.
The Ombudsman’s office works closely with the prisoner and parolee population, Corrections staff, the Michigan Legislature and concerned individuals so that critical, individual and systemic issues can be identified and investigated as quickly as possible.
