Objective

To determine the extent of implementation of the five recommendations included in our initial report, Facility Oversight and Timeliness of Response to Complaints and Inmate Grievances (2017-S-2).

About the Program

The State Commission of Correction (Commission) is responsible for oversight of all 511 correctional facilities throughout the State, including 54 facilities operated by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), 11 Office of Children and Family Services facilities, and 446 county and local facilities. The Commission is charged with both the periodic inspection of all correctional facilities throughout the State and the timely response to complaints and inmate grievances. The Commission receives more than 7,000 complaints and inmate grievances annually. The Commission employs three commissioners and 30 staff to support its oversight activities, including 15 dedicated to the inspection and review of facilities.

We issued our initial audit report on January 19, 2018, covering the period January 1, 2014 through July 19, 2017. The audit objective was to determine if the Commission was fulfilling its responsibilities for the oversight of correctional facilities and for responding timely to complaints and inmate grievances. Our audit found that, although the Commission received data such as complaints and unusual incidents regarding various aspects of DOCCS facilities operations, it had not analyzed and tracked such information to identify any trends or patterns that may have warranted monitoring or review by the Commission. As a result, the Commission may not have identified patterns or trends, such as a significant increase in complaints at a specific facility or system-wide, in a timely manner. In addition, the Commission could improve its tracking of complaints and inmate grievances to better ensure they are responded to in a timely manner. The Commission’s management information system, which was in development during our audit, lacked the ability to produce reports on how complaints and inmate grievances were resolved and how long they took to process. Further, although the Commission generally met its facility inspection cycle of local lockups and reviewed all of the required standards, 23 of the 369 facilities were not inspected within the three-year requirement.

Key Finding

The Commission has made significant progress in addressing the issues we identified in our prior report. All five audit recommendations have been implemented.