Legislative Corrections Ombudsman - Created by state law in 1975, the Office of the Ombudsman is within the legislative branch of government. The Ombudsman is appointed by the Legislative Council. The Ombudsman primarily investigates complaints by prisoners about prison operations. The Ombudsman has access to all information which is generally available to department staff and is able to inspect any facility at any time. In general, the higher the security level, the more security risk a prisoner presents in terms of manageability and escape potential.
Some prisons have more than one security level.
As long as the offender is serving a mandatory life sentence, the offender cannot be paroled unless the sentence is commuted or pardoned by the governor. A public hearing where victims and others can present testimony for or against parole is required prior to parole consideration. The average time served before parole since 1990 has been 19.9 years. The Parole Board interviews about 225 to 300 lifers a year. The 1978 law required mandatory life imprisonment for delivery, possession or conspiracy to possess 650 or more grams of opiate narcotics or cocaine.