Governor Wes Moore signs landmark prison ombudsman bill into law
Today, Governor Wes Moore signed a bill to create Maryland’s first independent Correctional Ombudsman Office to investigate prison services and programs and review complaints by incarcerated men and women who have long reported poor health care, excessive solitary confinement, as well as dilapidated and unsanitary prison conditions. The new Ombudsman office also can pursue problems raised by individuals who visit, volunteer and work in correctional institutions.
Ombudsman powers will include free access to prison records, subpoenas, and unannounced visits to the state’s prisons, which currently house over 15,000 incarcerated people. The new law also enhances Maryland’s Juvenile Justice Monitoring unit, connecting it with the new Correctional Ombudsman Agency.
The bill, Sponsored by Senator Shelly Hettleman and Delegate Debra Davis, was passed after years of lobbying from the Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform and other prison reform advocates. Massive support for the bill included nearly unanimous witness testimony urging the need for the legislation, community education events, and letters from more than 90 incarcerated men and women regarding their harsh treatment in prisons with no meaningful recourse – until now.
“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.”
