The analysis summarizes the origins and operation of the ombudsman program. The discussion argues that the impetus effectively provided to the future development of prisoners’ rights by the Human Rights Act 1998 will further exacerbate the limitations and ineffectiveness of the ombudsman program, threaten its legitimacy, and prevent the realization of its potential. The analysis also considers the lessons offered by the comprehensive statutory ombudsman program that Minnesota has operated since 1972. It also examines the strengths and weaknesses of the widely acclaimed and more radical approach of the Missouri Constituent Services office created in 1994 and suggests potential implications for the debate on reforming the English Prisons Ombudsman Scheme. Notes and 40 references (Author abstract modified)