Mission Statement

To become a trusted resource to the IDOC population through partnering with the IDOC to effectively resolve complaints.

Purpose and General Principle

Purpose:  It is the purpose of the Ombudsman Bureau to develop policies and procedures that promote the expeditious resolution to complaints received from persons incarcerated in the DOC, their family members and other interested parties.  These specifically-designed procedures and policies provide for the consistent implementation of complaint resolution activities and promote the enforcement of IDOC policies and procedures, the health and safety of the IDOC population, and state law.

General Principle: These policies and procedures establish procedural guidelines for consistent handling and resolution of complaints submitted for resolution to the Ombudsman Bureau.  The following procedures should apply in the handling of each complaint submitted to the Bureau.

Intake Procedures

The Bureau receives complaints by mail, e-mail, telephone and GTL (ViaPath).

1. Requirements of Complaints:
   • Individuals attempt to resolve matters within the DOC before contacting the Bureau and should provide proof of having done so when contacting the Bureau, including fully completing any applicable IDOC process.
   • The Bureau will only accept complaints addressed specifically to the Bureau and written on an Ombudsman Complaint Form.
   • The Bureau will only accept complaints that are personal to a person.  i.e. – not filed on behalf of another person.
2. The Bureau will only accept as complaints matters concerning whether the Department of Correction:
   • Violated a specific law, rule or department written policy; or
   • Endangered the health or safety of a person.
3. The Bureau requires individuals to use the Ombudsman Complaint Form, if at all possible.
4. The Bureau requires individuals to send all relevant paperwork with their complaints, if at all possible.
5. The Ombudsman reserves the right to refuse complaints which contain subject matter not under the jurisdiction of the Bureau or adequate information is not provided.
6. If the Bureau has already addressed a matter, further correspondence regarding the matter will be noted and filed.

Determining Appropriate Action

1. As soon as possible after receipt of a piece of correspondence, a determination will be made whether the correspondence should be entered in to the “IDOC Ombudsman” Teams Channel or the Ombudsman Access database.
2. When entering correspondence it will be assigned a subject matter, while most of these are self- explanatory a brief description is provided below, if necessary:
   • Case Management –
   • Classification (Codes) – Matters involving classification designations
   • Classification (not discip) – Matters involving sentencing
   • Classification (time cuts) – Matters involving time cuts
   • Clothing
   • Commissary
   • Confinement Conditions – living conditions
   • Contract – Contractual matters.
   • Correspondence – Matters involving use of mail, confiscation
   • Credit time – Matter involving one’s credit time calculations.
   • Dental
   • Disciplinary Action – Conduct reports and the Disciplinary Process
   • Excess Force – Allegation of such
   • Food – includes diets
   • Grievance
   • Housing
   • Legal
   • Medical Care
   • Mental Health
   • Safety
   • Trust Accounts
   • Violence – between those in population
   • Parole
   • Personal property
   • Phone
   • Programs
   • Recreation
   • Religious
   • Sanitation
   • School
   • Security
   • Sex Offender
   • Staff Misconduct
   • Transfer
   • Visitation
   • VMR – Visitiation With Minor Restriction
   • Work – about an individual’s job within the IDOC
3. When an item is received on a complaint form it is immediately entered into the IDOC Ombudsman Access Database and given a complaint number and subject matter.
4. When logged as a complaint, the Assistant determines whether a complaint needs:
   1. Further review, in which case it is given to the Ombudsman.
   2. Further investigation, in which case it may be given to the Ombudsman.

Response Procedures

Responses to correspondence from the IDOC population will be made in writing and sent through the U.S. Mail only.  The Bureau will not reply to IDOC population correspondence via e-mail. Responses should be made in a reasonably timely manner after receipt of the complaint and should be in writing as follows:

More Information Required

When new correspondence is received by the Bureau with insufficient information, then the letter of response instructs the complainant to send the Bureau additional information.

No Violation Letters

If all information is reviewed and the Bureau determines that no violation of IDOC policy or procedure has occurred, the Bureau shall respond with a letter expressing that no violation has been found in the matter and no investigation is necessary.

No Jurisdiction Letters

If the Complainant has submitted a complaint concerning a matter that that the Bureau does not have the statutory power to address, the complainant is sent a letter explaining that the Bureau does not have jurisdiction over such a matter.

Use the IDOC process Letters

If the Bureau receives a letter from a complainant and it has come to be determined that the complainant has not completed a IDOC process that could be used to resolve the complaint, the Bureau may send the complainant a letter explaining that the person must first complete the DOC process available.  See exceptions to this in section VII part A.

Report of Investigation

The Bureau should submit a letter to an individual once an investigation or inquiry has been completed or it has been determined that an investigation is not needed.

1. In the case in which an investigation has been performed, the letter should indicate the outcome of the investigation or inquiry.
2. In the case in which the decision has been reached that an investigation or inquiry is not necessary, the letter should state the reason an investigation was found to be unnecessary.

Summary of Findings

The Bureau shall submit a report on a monthly basis of all complaints addressed during the month.

Procedures Upon Investigation

1. The Bureau may conduct an investigation into a matter when a person has completed the appropriate IDOC process or when a person may not have completed this process, but the matter involves a health or safety matter.
2. Investigations shall be completed in a timely manner.
3. Once it is determined that a complaint requires an investigation, one or more of the following people may need to be contacted:
   • Facility contact person
   • Final review authority
   • Grievance Officer
   • Superintendent
   • The person who originally submitted the concern
   • Family Members
   • Policy Manager
   • Classification
   • Assistant Superintendent
   • Central Office personnel
   • Medical personnel
   • Investigations & Intelligence
   • Other personnel
4. Once the appropriate contact has been made, it may be necessary to visit the facility in order to address the issue.
5. It may also be necessary to hold a meeting at the facility and the relevant IDOC personnel.
6. Once the relevant people have communicated, one of three determinations may be made: that the complaint is true and needs IDOC action; that it is not true; or that the DOC has already addressed the issue, as described in section I.
7. A recommendation, as described below in Section VIII below, is made when a complaint is substantiated.
8. Reports of investigation are written as described above in section VI part E.
9. After completion of these Procedures Upon Investigation stated above a complaint is considered resolved by the Bureau and is closed.