Responsibilities of the Office of the Inspector General

The Inspector General's specific responsibilities consist of the following:

• Conduct investigations, audits, and special reviews at the request of the Governor, members of the Legislature, the Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and on the Inspector General's own initiative.
• Perform real-time oversight of internal affairs investigations into alleged misconduct by employees of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
• Conduct audits of each correctional institution at least once every four years and a baseline audit of each warden or superintendent of an institution one year after appointment.
• Review the policies and procedures of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for conducting internal investigations and audits.
• Establish and maintain a toll-free public telephone number to allow reporting of administrative wrongdoing, poor management practices, criminal conduct, fraud, or other abuses in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
• Investigate complaints of retaliation against those who report misconduct on the part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and its employees.
• Evaluate and report on the qualifications of the Governor's candidates for warden or superintendent with regard to each candidate’s ability to discharge the duties of the office for the state's adult and juvenile correctional institutions.
• Refer matters involving criminal conduct to law enforcement authorities in the appropriate jurisdiction or to the Attorney General.
• Through the Office of the Sexual Abuse in Detention Elimination Ombudsperson, investigate reports of the mishandling of incidents of sexual abuse within correctional facilities, maintain the confidentiality of victims of sexual abuse if requested, and ensure the impartial resolution of inmate and ward sexual abuse complaints.
• Regularly examine the various mental health, substance abuse, educational, and employment programs for inmates and parolees operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation through the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board (C-ROB).
• Conduct semi-annual facility inspections of adult and juvenile institutions to examine systemic issues and significant complaints, identify problem areas that may lead to investigations or audits, and follow up on prior complaints.
• Audit the California Prison Health Care Receivership Corporation’s budget to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Respond to critical incidents at adult and juvenile correctional institutions, including officer-involved shootings, riots, escapes that pose a threat to public safety, and correctional staff member deaths caused by inmates.
• Inspect medical care operations at adult correctional institutions.
• Audit the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s compliance with the federal court’s injunction and remedial plan in Armstrong v. Schwarzenegger.  
• Monitor use-of-force committee meetings conducted monthly at each adult and juvenile correctional institution.