Office of the correctional investigator: need help?

• Author: Sapers, Howard
• Position: Public sector Ombudsman

The History of the Public Sector Ombudsman

Broadly speaking, an Ombudsman is a public official appointed by a legislature to receive and investigate citizen complaints against administrative acts of government. Ombudsman offices are unique as they provide independent, unbiased investigations into complaints against government agencies by gathering facts, reporting findings, issuing recommendations, and bringing reason and understanding to disputes. It is generally accepted that the first Ombudsman was appointed by the Swedish legislature in 1809 to respond to increasing public complaints against government agencies. The Swedish word Ombudsman means "protector or defender of citizens' rights."

According to the International Ombudsman Institute, public sector Ombudsman offices were not instituted in other countries until the twentieth century, when they were adopted in other Scandinavian countries (Finland in 1919; Denmark in 1955; and, Norway in 1962). The Ombudsman concept subsequently spread throughout Europe, and by the mid-1980s, there were about 21 countries with Ombudsman offices at the national level and about six other countries with Ombudsman offices at the provincial, state, or regional levels.

Since the mid-1980s, the transition of many countries to a democratic structure of governance has led to the establishment of many more Ombudsman offices--now an intrinsic part of advanced and younger democracies around the world. This can be attributed in part to their historical track record as an accessible, successful, and valuable guarantor of citizens' rights.

The Development of the Specialized Prison Ombudsman

The establishment of specialized prison Ombudsman offices is relatively recent, but continues to gain in popularity around the world. Scotland and Northern Ireland are examples of jurisdictions that have recently established a specialized prison Ombudsman office. Many countries view such an office as one of the most effective models of external oversight to address prisoners' complaints and grievances. The specialized expertise and dose working relationship with correctional authorities and stakeholders make prison Ombudsman offices capable of unbiased investigations and timely resolution of offender complaints.

Historically, most prison Ombudsman offices have been created as a direct result of well-publicized serious human rights violations and to address the chronic inability of internal prison complaint and grievance...