September 20, 2024
Contact: (Olinda Moyd
moydlaw@yahoo.com)

Governor Wes Moore Announces the Appointment of Acting Correctional Ombudsman

Today, Governor Wes Moore announced the appointment of Yvonne Briley-Wilson as Acting Correctional Ombudsman.  After many years of advocacy, the Correctional Ombudsman Bill (Senate Bill 134) was passed  creating independent correctional oversight for the first time in the State.

Yvonne Briley-Wilson is a seasoned attorney and executive director and has experience working with and advocating for diverse populations.  “I am grateful that Yvonne has raised her hand to serve Maryland in this new leadership position. Our entire administration is confident in her ability to create a safer and more transparent correctional system,” said Governor Moore.

Maryland’s first independent Correctional Ombudsman Office has the responsibility to investigate prison services and programs and review complaints by incarcerated men and women who have long faced unanswered grievances about poor health care, excessive stays in solitary confinement and dilapidated and unsanitary prison conditions.    The new Ombudsman agency has subpoena power to obtain documents and conduct independent reviews and assessments to resolve issues raised, not just by detainees, but by individuals who visit, volunteer and work in our institutions.   It is authorized to make unannounced visits to the state’s prisons, which currently houses nearly 16, 000 incarcerated people. The office will also oversee the existing   Juvenile Justice Monitoring unit.

“Now is the time for accountability and independent oversight over one of Maryland’s largest government operations – corrections,” said Olinda Moyd, lead advocate and executive board member with The Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform. “The establishment of a Correctional Ombudsman Office is a step in the right direction, not just for those housed in our correctional institutions but also for every person who works, visits and volunteers there. We remain optimistic regarding the appointment of Ms Briley-Wilson.”