WA Office of the Corrections Ombuds

What WA Office of the Corrections Ombuds does

The Office of the Corrections Ombuds (OCO) is an independent state agency within the Washington State Governor's Office, created on March 27, 2018 by Second Substitute Bill 1889 to provide independent oversight of the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC). OCO serves incarcerated individuals across all Washington State prisons and reentry centers (AHCC, CBCC, CCCC, CRCC, LCC, MCC, MCCW, OCC, SCCC, WCC, WCCW, WSP, and Work Release facilities) and their families. Its core services include a confidential, privileged hotline (RCW 43.06C.060) reachable at (360) 664-4749 and (844) 395-7488; a six-phase complaint investigation process (Intake, Triage, Type Determination, Documentation & Evidence Review, Findings & Negotiations, Outcomes); routine monitoring visits to all DOC facilities; and a portfolio of public reports including monthly outcome reports, investigative reports, annual reports, and Unexpected Fatality Review reports. Under HB 2084, OCO also convenes the Construction Training Pathways Oversight Committee.

OCO is not a technology company. Its infrastructure consists of standard government tools: a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Portals-based complaint intake site, a GovQA public records portal, Zoom and TVW for public meetings, and Securus Tablets (FYI App) plus DOC Law Libraries for newsletter distribution to approximately 11,000 incarcerated individuals. The office employs roughly 10 people (Acting Director Heather Bates plus nine staff) operating from Olympia, WA.

As a government oversight agency, OCO is funded through Washington State legislative appropriations, not commercial revenue. All services — hotline, complaint investigation, mediation, monitoring visits, public reports — are provided free of charge. The agency's "go-to-market" is community-led: direct outreach to the incarcerated population, public reporting, quarterly public meetings, and engagement with the Statewide Family Council, Statewide Reentry Council, NACOLE, USOA, and the Office of Equity's PEAR Framework. No external customers, shareholders, or pricing model exist.

Name

WA Office of the Corrections Ombuds

Legal name

The Office of the Corrections Ombuds

Website

https://oco.wa.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Office of the Corrections Ombuds (OCO) is an independent Washington State agency within the Governor's Office that provides independent oversight of the Department of Corrections, investigating complaints, conducting monitoring visits, and publishing reports for incarcerated individuals across all state prisons and reentry centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriations: OCO is an independent agency within the Washington State Governor's Office. As a government oversight entity, the office is funded through state budget appropriations rather than commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Office of the Corrections Ombuds (OCO) is an independent state agency that provides oversight of the Washington State Department of Corrections. Its core services include investigating individual complaints from incarcerated individuals through a structured six-phase process, conducting routine monitoring visits to all Washington State prisons and reentry centers, mediating concerns with DOC, and publishing public reports on systemic issues, monthly outcomes, annual findings, and unexpected fatalities in custody. All services are provided free of charge to incarcerated individuals and their families.

Product overview

The Office of the Corrections Ombuds (OCO) is an independent state agency that provides oversight of the Washington State Department of Corrections. The OCO is not a technology product company but rather a government oversight agency offering a portfolio of services including: a confidential hotline for incarcerated individuals to report concerns; complaint investigation services following a six-phase process; routine monitoring visits to all state prisons and reentry centers; and various reporting products (monthly outcome reports, investigative reports, annual reports, and Unexpected Fatality Review reports). The agency also operates the Construction Training Pathways Oversight Committee under HB 2084 to expand construction training in correctional facilities. Public-facing services include an online complaint portal (Dynamics 365), a public records portal (GovQA), and a newsletter distributed via Securus tablets. The OCO's core offering is its oversight, investigation, and mediation services rather than a traditional software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OCO Hotline Service Free, confidential hotline (360-664-4749 and 844-395-7488) reserved for incarcerated individuals in Washington State prisons and reentry centers to report concerns or provide updates on active cases. Available Monday-Thursday 1:00-3:00pm and not monitored or recorded by DOC.
• Complaint Investigation Services Individual complaint investigation services following a six-phase process: Intake, Triage Screening, Determine Investigation Type, Documentation and Evidence Review, Findings and Negotiations, and Outcomes and Case Closing. Open to incarcerated individuals in WA DOC facilities.
• Monitoring Visits Program Routine inspection of all Washington State prisons and reentry centers to assess and report on facility conditions and treatment of incarcerated people. A proactive process for early identification of systemic concerns.
• Monthly Outcome Reports Monthly reports for all completed investigations containing de-identified summaries of concerns, OCO actions, and outcomes for public transparency.
• Investigative Reports Published reports on special topics, systemic issues, and negotiated outcomes related to corrections oversight.
• Annual Reports Annual reports about the work of the office published every November, submitted to the Governor, Legislature, and Statewide Family Council.
• Unexpected Fatality Review (UFR) Reports Annual reports on DOC compliance with UFR Committee recommendations and trends related to unexpected deaths in custody.
• Construction Training Pathways Oversight Committee Committee convened under HB 2084 to expand access to construction-related training programs in state correctional facilities and strengthen pathways to state registered apprenticeships. Includes inventory of programs, assessment of viability, and recommendations to DOC.
• OCO Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly outcome reports published with de-identified case summaries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Centennial AccordminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2024OCO Director attended the 35th Annual Centennial Accord Meeting in Suquamish, WA (September 2024), participating in government-to-government relations discussions.
• Re-Entry 2030 and Governor Inslee's Executive Order 24-03coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2024OCO Director and Deputy Director attended the signing event for Gov. Inslee's Executive Order 24-03 on Reentry 2030 and Building Better Neighbors in Tacoma, WA (September 2024).
• National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2023OCO participates in NACOLE's annual conferences and executive leadership forums. OCO Director attended the 2023 NACOLE Executive Leadership Forum in Chicago, IL, and presented at the 2024 NACOLE Annual Conference in Tucson, AZ.
• United States Ombudsman Association (USOA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2023OCO Director, Deputy Director, and Senior Corrections Ombuds presented on the agency's multi-year, trauma-responsive system transformation at USOA's 42nd Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA (September 2023). Staff attended the 43rd Annual Conference in San Diego, CA (November 2024).
• Statewide Family CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCO regularly attends Statewide Family Council meetings (quarterly), including both virtual and in-person meetings. The OCO submits annual reports to the Statewide Family Council per statutory requirements (RCW 43.06C.040).
• Statewide Reentry CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCO staff regularly attend Statewide Reentry Council meetings in various Washington State locations, presenting on OCO activities and collaborating on reentry initiatives.
• University of Washington Solitary Confinement ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCO staff attended the UW Solitary Confinement Research Tour in September 2025, participating in collaborative research efforts on incarceration-related topics.
• Construction Training Pathways Oversight Committee (CTPOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnder HB 2084, OCO convenes an oversight committee to expand access to construction-related training programs in correctional facilities. Committee members include representatives from DOC, SBCTC, L&I, and state registered apprenticeship programs. First meeting convened February 28, 2025.
• Washington State Office of Equity (PEAR Framework)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCO is actively participating in the Washington State Office of Equity's Pro-Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR) Framework. The OCO's PEAR Team includes all staff and community member Tianna Cain, who provides lived experience perspective. The team aims to embed PEAR principles in all agency decision-making.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Washington State Office of the Family & Children's Ombuds: Sibling Washington State independent ombuds office investigating complaints regarding state-administered services for families and children. Operates a structurally identical model (independent office, confidential intake, public reports) demonstrating the template OCO follows and could expand within.
• Nebraska Office of Inspector General of Corrections: Nebraska's state-level corrections oversight office that investigates complaints, conducts inspections, and publishes reports on Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. Closely analogous mission and small-team operating model.
• Florida Office of the Corrections Ombudsman: Florida's state corrections ombudsman office investigating inmate grievances and reporting systemic issues. Comparable state-level corrections oversight scope though operated within the Department of Corrections rather than independently.
• Connecticut Office of the Correction Ombuds: Connecticut's independent state corrections ombuds office with a nearly identical mandate: investigate complaints from incarcerated individuals, conduct monitoring visits, and publish reports. Directly comparable in function, statutory independence, and small-team operating model.
• Correctional Association of New York: New York's statutorily authorized independent oversight body that monitors state prisons and produces public reports on conditions of confinement. Operates a similar "independent monitor + public reporting" model even though structured as a nonprofit.

Others

• Vera Institute of Justice: National research and policy nonprofit working on criminal justice reform, including conditions of confinement. While not an oversight body itself, Vera produces research and frameworks that shape the standards OCO uses in its monitoring and investigative work.
• Just Detention International: National advocacy organization focused on ending sexual abuse in detention. Operates a reporting mechanism and advocacy work that complements OCO's complaint function; JDI's documentation and survivor support framework informs OCO's investigative practice.
• National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE): National membership association advancing independent oversight of law enforcement and corrections. OCO actively participates in NACOLE conferences and forums, making it the primary peer organization for best-practice sharing and standards development.
• United States Ombudsman Association (USOA): National professional association for ombuds practitioners across sectors. OCO leadership regularly presents at USOA annual conferences, making it the key professional body for ombuds methodology and inter-agency learning.

Broad incumbents

• Washington State Department of Corrections: The agency that OCO oversees. DOC operates all Washington State prisons and reentry centers and is the primary counterpart in every OCO investigation and monitoring visit. Broader in scope (operations vs. oversight) but directly linked through the oversight relationship.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wacorrectionsombuds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WA Office of the Corrections Ombuds