Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

What is DPSCS?

The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) is one of the largest agencies in Maryland state government, whose eleven thousand employees work as a team to protect the public and the offenders and arrestees under their supervision.

Operationally, DPSCS oversees all aspects of supervision for sentenced offenders in the state prison system, the treatment facility Patuxent Institution, and those under community supervision by Parole and Probation agents. The Department is also responsible for detainees in the Baltimore City pre-trial jails.

From incarceration to reentry into the community, DPSCS strives to provide seamless, integrated supervision services for all offenders that results in lower recidivism rates (fewer ex-offenders committing new crimes when they get out). Through a belief in the value of every human being, the Department is proactive about public health issues and offers offenders programming opportunities to improve his or her life and become a productive taxpaying citizen. DPSCS also provides victim services for those impacted by the crimes of offenders under our supervision.

In addition, DPSCS has made institutional security a priority year after year, while also opening lines of communication with our criminal justice partners in the community to improve sharing of information and keep violent repeat offenders off the streets.

The Department also includes public safety agencies charged with training and certifying law enforcement and correctional officers for the State, the Maryland Parole Commission, the State’s Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and the board that provides funding for every 9-1-1 center in Maryland.

Please click on the tabs above to learn more about each agency and the many programs within DPSCS.