Texas

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

Year Established:
2021

More Information:

Last Updated 12/08/2025

Office of the Independent Ombudsman

Budget

The Ombudsman’s budget of $853,142 is included as part of corrections agency’s overall budget.

Staffing

25 staff members. The office is led by Ombudsman Brian Patrick.

  • The current staffing complement includes the Director (Ombuds) and the Deputy Director; one quality control coordinator; one administrative supervisor; six administrative assistants; one staff services officer (HR representative); two ombuds supervisors; and 12 ombuds who advance from Ombuds I to Ombuds III through a structured career ladder based on tenure and performance.

State Prison Profile

Texas has 104 state prison facilities (one of which is privately operated) and incarcerates approximately 138,000 people in them. The state prison system is run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).

Authority

Texas Government Code, Chapter 493; Texas Board of Criminal Justice Policy BP-01.08

  • Structure: The ombudsman is appointed by and reports directly to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, whose members are appointed by the governor. The Board is the authority that controls TDCJ, determines agency policy, and appoints agency leadership, so the Ombudsman is not completely independent of the agency. However, the Ombudsman is not subject to interference by the director of TDCJ, so it does have a measure of independence. 
  • Authorized Activities: The Ombudsman can propose changes to Department policies and procedures through the Board chairman, and it can monitor and ensure departmental compliance with law and policies regarding the treatment of prisoners. 
  • Access: The Ombudsman is authorized to access Department records, data, reports, plans, projects, matters, contracts, memoranda, correspondence, and any other materials. 

Activities

The Ombudsman receives, reviews, investigates, and responds to complaints or inquiries from members of the public, elected or appointed state officials, and incarcerated people about non-criminal matters regarding the Board or Department. The Ombudsman can identify, report, and make recommendations to the Board regarding any problematic systemic trends or other matters requiring attention from the Board and Department leadership.

Reports

Annual reports, available here, are made public on the number and types of inquiries and complaints received and the resolution of each inquiry.

Organizational History

Prior to 2021, the Department had an internal ombudsman to receive and respond to complaints from the general public and state officials. In 2021, the Ombudsman’s office moved under the Board under a new agency policy, which requires the Ombudsman to report directly and only to the Board.

News Stories

Special Note

We are including the Texas Office of the Independent Ombudsman on our list of oversight bodies because an intentional effort was made to increase its independence from the corrections agency it oversees. Nevertheless, the Ombudsman’s placement under the same administrative structure as the prison agency, and the fact that it shares a budget and email address with the prison agency, reduce both its actual and perceived independence. For that reason, we designate Texas differently on our map.