NCJ Number
197493
Date Published
December 2001
Length
53 pages
Annotation
This document presents the number of complaints from the public in the State of Hawaii for the period July 1, 2000, to June 30, 2001.
Abstract
The Office of the Ombudsman receives and investigates complaints from the public about injustice or maladministration by executive agencies of the State and county governments. The Ombudsman is empowered to obtain necessary information for investigations, to recommend corrective action to agencies, and to criticize agency actions. The Ombudsman cannot compel or reverse administrative decisions. During fiscal year 2000-2001, the office received a total of 5,880 inquiries. Of these 4,134 may be classified as complaints within the jurisdiction of the office. The remaining inquiries consisted of requests for information (1,229), and non-jurisdictional complaints (517). The inquiries received represented a slight increase from the inquiries received the previous fiscal year (5,796). However, the number of complaints decreased slightly. Two new staff members were added to the Ombudsman office. The most common forms of outreach the office engaged in previously were quarterly or bimonthly advertisements in various statewide and local newspapers and occasional speaking engagements before school and community organizations. Outreach efforts were expanded to creating a Web site, developing an educational exhibit booth for display at public venues, and installing a Text Teletype (TTY) unit to enable communication by telephone with hearing/speech impaired persons. The Ombudsman office continues to play an active role in the United States Ombudsman Association (USOA). Selected case summaries of investigations include complaints regarding allowing only one free school meal per day; the business hours of the parking office for a university; and allowing only one driver’s license at a time in the city of Honolulu. 10 tables