Objective

• According to its mission statement, "The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services protects the public, its employees, and detainees and offenders under its supervision." The department focuses on several means of accomplishing that objective. DPSCS works to make correctional institutions safer and to provide means, through the Division of Parole and Probation, for people found guilty of crimes to rejoin mainstream society and become productive citizens. The department is committed to sharing intelligence and duties with other agencies in order to improve efficiency.
  
  

Scope

• As one of the largest departments in Maryland, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services contains multiple agencies, the largest of which are the Division of Correction and the Division of Parole and Probation. Other agencies under the DPSCS umbrella include the Emergency Number Systems Board, Police and Correctional Training Commission, Parole Commission and Office of Treatment Services.
  
  

Division of Correction

• The Division of Correction is the largest criminal justice agency in Maryland and oversees operation of the Maryland prison system. There are 27 correctional and pre-release facilities in Maryland. Improving the safety of Maryland prisons is the primary goal of the Division of Correction and has been accomplished through improvements in identifying gang members, coordinating intelligence with other agencies and preventing contraband, including cell phones, from entering Maryland prisons. The Maryland Division of Correction also operates Maryland Correctional Enterprises, through which inmates can work in conditions mimicking the private sector, and Public Safety Works, a program through which offenders can pay back the communities they have affected.
  
  

Division of Parole and Probation

• The Maryland Division of Parole and Probation supervises offenders on probation and parole with the goal of preventing reentry into the criminal justice system. The Division of Parole and Probation operates 45 offices and employs 700 agents and 95 drinking driver monitors. In addition to supervisory responsibilities of offenders, the Division of Parole monitors individuals convicted of drunk driving, manages the home detention program and apprehends offenders who have violated the terms of their supervision.
  
  

Initiatives

• Within the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, several initiatives mark the department's priorities. The Division of Parole and Probation concentrates on violent offenders and has successfully reduced violent crime in targeted areas. The Division of Correction, partnered with other Maryland agencies, has increased inmate enrollment in educational programs.