Maryland

Type of Oversight:
Complaints Investigation; Inspection
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Branch of Government:
Executive

Year Established:
2024

More Information:

Last Updated 03/09/2026

Office of the Correctional Ombudsman (OCO)

Budget

$1,840,857 (FY 2026)

The OCO budget is included within the overall State budget.

Staffing

14 staff positions are authorized in the budget.

The OCO is led by Ombudsman Yvonne Briley-Wilson, who was appointed in 2024. As of 2026, the OCO employed 13 people, including the Ombudsman for Correctional Oversight (Briley-Wilson), the Deputy Ombudsman for Correctional Oversight, the Senior Ombudsman for Juvenile Oversight, the Deputy Ombudsman for Juvenile Oversight, three assistants for correctional oversight, two assistants for juvenile oversight, a board liaison, an assistant Attorney General, a Strategic Data and Technology Manager, and an executive administrator.

State Prison Profile

Maryland has 18 adult detention and correctional facilities subject to OCO oversight, and incarcerates approximately 14,455 people in state prisons. The prison system is run by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS). Additionally, the OCO provides oversight over 11 juvenile facilities operated by the Department of Juvenile Services.

Authority

Maryland Statutes, State Government,  §9-4001 through §9–4015

Structure:

The OCO is an independent unit of the state government. The Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoints the ombudsman for a five-year term. (§9–4002 to §9–4003)

The OCO also must provide staff for the Correctional Ombudsman Advisory Board, the purpose of which is to provide information to OCO and assist the office in identifying appropriate matters to investigate and developing processes by which complaints are submitted, reviewed, investigated, and resolved. The board’s members are appointed by the Governor. (§9–4007)

Authorized Activities:

  • The statute grants the Ombudsman oversight authority over the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) and the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), including any contracted service providers. (§9–4001) The OCO is required to independently review and assess certain health and mental health services, facility expansion, renovation, or closure plans, educational and vocational programs, and policies governing restrictive and protective housing. (§9–4004) The OCO must work with agencies to improve operations and prevent abuse, conduct unannounced site visits and on-site inspections of facilities to monitor conditions, pursue complaint resolution through mediation or similar methods, and maintain a public-facing website. (§9–4004)
  • Additionally, the OCO must investigate administrative actions that violate law or regulation, are based on factual error or insufficient evidence, are carried out inefficiently, are unreasonable under the totality of the circumstances, or are otherwise erroneous. (§9–4004)

Facility and Information Access:

The OCO is authorized to conduct unannounced site visits and on-site inspections of facilities maintained by DPSCS and DJS, which in practice in Maryland has meant “golden key” access to any facility at any time.  (§9–4004, §9–4014) The OCO is also granted access to all records maintained by DSPSCS, including reports of disciplinary actions, grievances, and grievance dispositions, and is permitted to interview agency personnel and any individual confined by an agency. (§9–4004)

Activities

Complaint Investigation:

The OCO is required to investigate each complaint unless it determines that the complaint can be addressed through another process; is “frivolous, vexatious, or not made in good faith”; was unreasonably delayed; or cannot be investigated due to insufficient resources. The OCO must notify the complainant of its decision whether to investigate, provide status updates upon request, and, upon completion, communicate its conclusions, including any recommendations or actions. Within 30 days of completing an investigation, the OCO must submit a report to the relevant agency detailing its conclusions and recommendations and requesting a written response, which the agency must provide within 45 days of receipt. (§9–4004)

All communications are confidential, subject to statutory exceptions, and the OCO may receive and respond to complaints without agency interception, review, or interference. The OCO may also collaborate with agencies or other units of state government to investigate complaints or allegations of injury, neglect, or death involving individuals confined by or under agency supervision. (§9–4004)

Reports

The OCO is required to report to the Governor and the General Assembly information regarding OCO investigations, actions taken or rejected by agencies, and any death of an individual confined by or under the care of an agency. This report is published annually and is made publicly available here. (§9–4006)

Organizational History

The OCO was established through legislation in 2024, creating Maryland’s first independent correctional oversight body. The legislation responded to longstanding concerns about inadequate health care, excessive use of solitary confinement, and unsafe, unsanitary prison conditions across the state. The originally appointed Ombudsman continues to serve in that role as of early 2026.The legislation also restructured Maryland’s preexisting Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit by integrating it with the OCO, strengthening independent oversight across both adult and juvenile correctional systems. The bill’s passage, which received broad public support, followed years of sustained advocacy by prison reform organizations, as well as heightened public attention to systemic failures within Maryland’s correctional facilities, including indictments related to drugs being smuggled into correctional facilities by staff and a U.S. Department of Labor investigation into unpaid wages for correctional staff.

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