Minnesota’s Ombudsman for Corrections was first established in 1972 by Governor Wendell Anderson in Executive Order 14 as an independent agency in the executive branch, then by the legislature as an independent agency in 1973. Minnesota was the first state to create an ombudsman specifically for corrections and to give the office independent authority and in doing so established a standard for how to independently and justly investigate complaints. The office was eliminated by the legislature in 2003.
In 2019, the Minnesota Legislature newly re-created the Office of the Ombuds for Corrections (OBFC) by enacting Minnesota Statutes Chapter 241 .90-95. The Ombuds and their staff are given “the authority to investigate decisions, acts, and other matters of the Department of Corrections so as to promote the highest attainable standards of competence, efficiency, and justice in the administration of corrections.”
