THE OMBUDSMAN OFFICE ACCEPTS COMPLAINTS FROM INMATES, VOLUNTEERS, AND CORRECTIONAL STAFF. IN FISCAL YEAR 1977, THE OFFICE HANDLED 424 COMPLAINTS. OF THESE, 318 WERE RECEIVED AND CLOSED WITHIN THE FISCAL YEAR, 6.6 PERCENT WERE DETERMINED UNFOUNDED, AND THE REMAINING 93.4 PERCENT WERE VALID OR CLOSED BEFORE SUCH DETERMINATION COULD BE MADE. THE LARGEST NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS (28.6 PERCENT) RELATED TO REHABILITATION ISSUES. COMPLAINTS ABOUT CARE AND MAINTENANCE ACCOUNTED FOR 23 PERCENT, AND ISSUES RELATING TO INSTITUTIONAL ORDER ACCOUNTED FOR 20.4 PERCENT. SAFETY AND SECURITY COMPLAINTS RANKED FOURTH, FOLLOWED BY ONES AGAINST STAFF MEMBERS AND THE INMATE GRIEVEANCE PROCEDURE. THERE WAS DIRECT INTERVENTION BY THE OMBUDSMAN OFFICE IN 40.8 PERCENT OF THE COMPLAINTS. INDIRECT INTERVENTION -- PROVIDING INFORMATION AND REFERRALS -- WAS DONE IN 30.8 PERCENT OF THE CASES. THE REMAINDER WERE CLOSED BEFORE INTERVENTION WAS COMPLETED. IN ADDITION TO INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINT HANDLING, THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN BEGAN FORMULATING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY CHANGES. IN SOME INSTANCES, THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE THE RESULT OF INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINT WORK, AND IN OTHER CASES WERE THE RESULT OF SPECIAL STUDIES CONDUCTED BY THE OMBUDSMAN OFFICE. TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (RCB)