Good Afternoon,
In December 2021, I joined the Office of the Corrections Ombuds (OCO) as the Interim Director. My intended role has been to assist the office during this period of transition until the permanent director is hired. Though my time with the OCO will be limited, I have been working with the OCO staff to identify areas in need of modifications in order to facilitate a smooth transition in leadership and operations of the office.
One area of concern for the office has been the OCO hotline. One of the duties of the OCO is to maintain a statewide toll-free hotline. The purpose of this hotline is to allow access for incarcerated individuals to contact the office to file complaints and obtain information about issues related to their health, safety, welfare, and rights while in the custody of the Department of Corrections (DOC).
The office currently operates the hotline three days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, except for holidays when the office is closed. During these three days, there are two shifts each day: 8:30 am – 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm. Unfortunately, these times of operation conflict with some schedules in the DOC facilities and, as a result, make it difficult for some incarcerated individuals to reach the OCO on the hotline.
In order to increase access to the OCO, we are making several changes to our hotline system. The primary change will be to the hours the hotline is operational. The second change is to the focus and purpose of the hotline. The following are the changes that will be effective beginning March 15, 2022:
- Beginning March 15, 2022, we will be adding an additional day to the hotline schedule and adding earlier morning and evening hours. We hope these new hours will improve hotline access for incarcerated individuals whose schedules conflict with our daytime hotline hours. The hours the hotline will be operational for the four days during the week are as follows:
o Monday: 7:30-10:30 am; 1:00-3:00 pm
o Tuesday: 1:00-3:00 pm; 5:30-8:00 pm
o Wednesday: 5:30 – 8:00 pm
o Thursday: 7:30-10:30 am; 1:00-3:00 pm
- Currently, the hotline is available to anyone who wishes to contact the OCO and is not reserved for intake of new information or complaints by incarcerated individuals for potential investigation or assistance. Many of the calls received are to confirm we have received letters sharing concerns or asking for updates on cases. In order to increase the number of incarcerated individuals who can access the OCO, we are making several changes to our process including:
- We will be sending a letter to the person who filed a complaint with the OCO to acknowledge we received the complaint and providing further information on the OCO process. This will allow people who file a complaint to know their concern has been received and the next steps in the OCO process, as well as when they will be contacted by OCO staff.
- If a person calls the hotline asking for an update on their case, the OCO staff person answering the call will notify the caller that they will contact the OCO staff handling the case and that staff person will provide an update to the incarcerated individual. The hotline staff will then send the caller’s information to the OCO staff handling the case and that staff person will follow up with the caller. This will allow the caller to be given the most accurate information, ensure confidentiality is maintained for the information being released, and allow more time on the hotline to be allocated for incarcerated individuals to call to share new concerns with the OCO.
When calling the OCO hotline, incarcerated individuals should not use their IPIN. Our hotline is a confidential and free service. The OCO hotline is not monitored by DOC. Incarcerated individuals can reach the hotline by calling (360) 664-4749. Individuals may also write to the OCO at 2700 Evergreen Parkway NW, Olympia, WA 98505.
Due to our high call volume, it has not always been possible to reach a live person on the hotline. We are hopeful that these changes to our hotline times and process will increase hotline access for all people incarcerated in Washington State.
Best,
Sonja Hallum
Interim Director
Office of the Corrections Ombuds
