Connecticut - NRCCO

In 2022, Connecticut passed a law creating a two-part independent prison oversight structure, consisting of the Office of the Correction Ombudsman (OCO) and the Correction Advisory Committee (CAC). The OCO has a professional staff to inspect facilities and investigate corrections-related complaints. The CAC is a citizen and expert panel that provides advice, collects public input, and recommends candidates to head the OCO. Both entities are discussed separately below.

OFFICE OF THE CORRECTION OMBUDS (OCO)

Budget

Initially, the OCO was operating using roughly $400,000 in personnel allocations through the Office of Government Accountability, its parent agency. For FY 2025, the Legislature allocated $790,000, doubling the initial budget. In FY 2026, the budget will be $760,000.

Staffing

The Governor appointed DeVaughn Ward as Interim Ombudsman in August 2024, and, in March 2025, the same individual was appointed as the permanent Ombudsman. The office is in the process of becoming staffed. The increased budget for FY 2025 will allow for the hiring of an Assistant Ombudsman, an investigator, a Nurse Practitioner or medical professional, and an office administrator. However, a hiring freeze has temporarily halted those hires. Additionally, the Ombudsman has hired law students, public policy graduate students, and public health graduate students as interns.

State Prison Profile

Connecticut has 13 state prison facilities subject to OCO oversight and incarcerates approximately 10,584 people in state prisons. Additionally, the OCO is responsible for monitoring 10 halfways houses that hold approximately 2000 individuals. The state prison system is run by the Connecticut Department of Correction (CTDOC).

Authority

Public Act 22-18 (2022), Public Act 25-161 (amended 2025)

Structure: OCO is an independent office housed within the Office of Governmental Accountability. OCO is headed by the Correction Ombuds, who is appointed by the Governor from a list created by the Corrections Advisory Committee (CAC) and who must be confirmed by the General Assembly. The Ombuds serves an initial two-year term, which continues until a successor is appointed, and can be successively reappointed.
Authorized Activities: OCO is charged with:
- conducting site visits;
- reviewing operations of correctional facilities and recommending policy and procedure changes;
- evaluating CTDOC’s provision of services and whether CTDOC policies conflict with the rights of incarcerated people;
- receiving complaints about CTDOC actions, policies, or procedures from incarcerated people;
- conducting surveys of incarcerated people and staff;
- using all available means, including public education and legislative advocacy, to promote the rights of incarcerated people.
Facility and Information Access: The Ombudsman has the power to make both announced and unannounced site visits to facilities, including during lockdowns and emergencies. OCO is generally granted the right to inspect and copy any records needed to carry out its duties. The Ombudsman also has subpoena authority.

Activities

During this initial phase of operation, the Ombudsman has focused primarily on developing office infrastructure and processes.The OCO’s activities have been limited by its lack of staffing, but broadly consist of:

Complaints Investigation: OCO has been receiving individual complaints from incarcerated people and families by mail, through an online form, and through a hotline, and the office quickly developed a substantial backlog of complaints. The Ombudsman investigates individual complaints and patterns of complaints at CTDOC facilities, including through facility visits. OCO conducts informal individual-level advocacy for incarcerated individuals to try to resolve complaints. Between the Ombudsman’s appointment in September 2024 and May 2025, the OCO addressed 196 complaints, with more than 189 awaiting review.
Assessment of Medical Care: the Legislature directed the OCO to issue a report assessing correctional health care by December 2025.
Evaluate Access to Services: the OCO is prioritizing its evaluation of services provided to incarcerated people.
Review of Administrative Directives: the OCO is undertaking a review of the corrections agency’s policies.
Advocacy: OCO advocates for broad conditions-of-confinement concerns at the state capitol and with CTDOC.
Facility Inspection: The Ombudsman conducted an initial round of inspections when he was first appointed to that role. Currently, site visits are occurring informally as complaints are investigated, but with increased staffing, OCO hopes to formalize and regularize the inspection process.

Reports

OCO reports are available here.

Semi-annual Reports: OCO’s first semi-annual report was published in May 2025. It describes the OCO’s activities to date; highlights conditions of confinement, areas of overall policy concern, and capital and maintenance concerns; reports on individual facilities; and identifies key legislative developments. All OCO biannual reports will be publicly available.
Annual Report: the OCO’s first Annual Report will be due in December 2025, and is required to include an assessment of Connecticut’s correctional medical care and an evaluation of services.

CORRECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC)

Authority

Public Act 22-18; Public Act 22-114

Structure: The CAC consists of 11 members, who are appointed by various authority figures in the state House and Senate and the Governor. In total, two of the CAC’s members must be directly impacted; one must have expertise in the legal rights of people who are incarcerated; two must have experience promoting the rights or welfare of people who are incarcerated; one each with experience providing mental health and health care to people who are incarcerated; two with corrections expertise; one with experience in medication in correctional settings; and one victims’ rights advocate. Appointing authorities must allow a public hearing on nominees before confirmation. Members serve four-year terms. The membership of the Correction Advisory Committee is available here.
Authorized Activities: The CAC is responsible for submitting a list of candidates for the Correction Ombuds role to the Governor; the Governor must choose a candidate from this list. The CAC is also responsible for reviewing OCO actions, meeting at least quarterly to advise the OCO, and holding semiannual public meetings on the OCO’s work.
Facility and Information Access: Facility and information access for the CAC are not mentioned in its empowering statute.

Activities

The CAC has met to recommend candidates for the Ombudsman position, most recently on January 8, 2025, when the Committee recommended the current Interim Ombudsman for the permanent position and forwarded his name to the Governor.

OCO AND CAC ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

Connecticut previously had a one-person ombudsman’s office, but it was eliminated in 2011 when the state faced a budget deficit. The CAC and OCO were established in 2022 through provisions of new criminal justice legislation regulating the use of solitary confinement in Connecticut (Public Act 22-18). Shortly after Public Act 22-18 was passed, lawmakers passed another bill (Public Act 22-114) adding two additional CAC members to be appointed by Republican leaders on the Judiciary Committee. From the passage of the legislation in 2022 until mid-2024, there was no one appointed to serve as Ombudsman. The CAC recommended its top two choices among three finalists, but the Governor selected the third candidate. When that third candidate did not have sufficient legislative support to be confirmed in the role, the selection process began again, resulting in the appointment of an interim Ombudsman in August 2024. That individual was confirmed as the permanent Ombudsman in March 2025.

OFFICE OF THE CORRECTION OMBUDS (OCO)

Budget

Staffing

State Prison Profile

Authority

Activities

Reports

CORRECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC)

Authority

Activities

OCO AND CAC ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

News Stories

New DOC oversight panel appointments alarm advocates

New CT prison oversight body holds first meeting

Hiring of CT correctional ombudsman has been a contentious saga, emails show

Governor Lamont names DeVaughn Ward as interim correction ombudsman

Connecticut’s new prison ombudsman wants better medical care for incarcerated people

Reporter’s Notebook: Defining the role of Connecticut’s prison ombudsman

Committee recommends civil rights attorney as Connecticut prison ombudsman

Correction Ombudsman says lack of staff, funding have limited his efforts so far

CT DOC ombuds nominee DeVaughn Ward approved by committee

CT Correction Dept. Ombudsman Stops Taking Complaints Amid 189-Grievance Backlog