JHA Testimony on HB 3887, establishing the IDOC Independent Ombudsman Bureau

JHA submits this testimony in support of HB 3887, the bill to create the IDOC Independent Ombudsman Bureau. Correctional Ombuds offices provide critical transparency into the closed system of corrections which creates accountability.  Democracy rests on the ability of the public to see and question what their government is doing and to use this information to gauge system functionality and guide decision-making. Prisons are uniquely opaque requiring increased scrutiny and information sharing to assess the safety, health, and well-being of prisoners who are inaccessible to their loved ones and the general public.  Offices of Ombuds improve transparency around the treatment of people in prison and the conditions they live in which sheds light on how state actors behave and use resources.