About Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services' mission is to protect the public of Maryland, including the offenders and detainees under their jurisdiction. The Maryland DPSCS achieves this by providing high security in all its institutions. Additionally, they provide detainees and former detainees with the resources necessary for transformation so they can stay out of trouble, during and after incarceration. The department also partners with agencies that assist them in sharing information to reduce crime, violence, and recidivism rates.
DPSCS manages 19 state prisons in Maryland, several pretrial institutions, and 42 Parole and Probation offices in different parts of the state. These institutions enable the department to achieve its mission to protect citizens by incarcerating and transforming criminals. In the institutions, DPSCS officials take incarcerated individuals through a wide array of programs and opportunities. These programs prepare the inmates for their release and reduce the likelihood of falling back to crime once they are out of correctional institutions.
In 2020, according to the Division of Correction, there was a daily average of 16,652 sentenced inmates across the state. On average, the sentence length was around 19.8 years (238 months), and the average age of inmates was 38.1. However, in a bid to keep the inmates engaged, approximately 10,398 inmates were involved in paid work duties, earning up to $3.30 daily.
Maryland DPSCS Inmate Services
One of the critical initiatives of DPSCS is providing inmate services that maintain and improve the bond between the incarcerated individuals and their loved ones. This initiative enables inmates to blend well with community members after their release and stay connected with their families and friends during their sentence period.
In this regard, the DPSCS provides the following services to inmates:
Inmate Visitation Services
The department allows loved ones to visit inmates, which promotes inmate development and case management. The visitors must comply with the set of rules which DPSCS or the housing facility outlines. DPSCS general visitation rules include:
- Appropriate dress code: visitors are not allowed to dress inappropriately during inmate visits, whether virtual or in-person. DPSCS prohibits clothes such as tube/tank/halter tops, miniskirts/dresses, shorts, etc.
- No contraband items: these are unauthorized items in prisons. If the prison authority finds a visitor with alcohol, weapons, drugs, cellular phones, or other prohibited items, the person will be subject to arrest and prosecution.
- Code of conduct: DPSCS expects visitors to comply with all guidelines in the correctional facility. Such procedures include frisking, wearing a visitor's badge, and keeping hands on top of the table while talking to the inmate. Refusing to comply with the set rules will result in immediate termination of the visit.
Inmate Communication Services
DPSCS allows inmates to keep in touch with their loved ones via phone calls and mail services. The department utilizes the ConnectNetwork services for funding and managing phone calls. There are two call services options:
- AdvancePay Accounts: This is a prepaid service that allows inmates to call you using funds you have deposited. An inmate can call the number you've provided as far as there is at least a one-minute call balance in the account. The inmate cannot deposit funds using this option.
- PIN Debit Accounts: The PIN Debit account allows inmates to deposit funds for phone calls using their commissary/trust account. Additionally, family members or friends can also deposit funds using this option.
Loved ones can also send mails to inmates, provided they comply with the U.S constitution, Maryland DPSCS guidelines, and Maryland State and Federal laws. You can find all the mailing addresses and inmate mail services rules on the inmate mail services page.
Inmate Banking Services
This service provides means for loved ones to deposit funds to inmates. DPSCS utilizes Access Corrections to process and manage all transactions to inmates' accounts.
Inmate Care Package Services
Access Securepak program allows loved ones to send care packages to incarcerated individuals in Maryland. You can order a care package via phone, mail, and online.
Offender Rehabilitation in Maryland
The Maryland DPSCS provides inmates with rehabilitation programs to change their behavior and reduce the recidivism rate in the state. The following divisions under DPSCS offer rehabilitation services in Maryland:
Division of Corrections
This division provides the following services:
- Inmate Education Program: The Division of Corrections, in partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education, develops, modifies, and monitors educational programs in state correctional institutions. The program provides inmates with an opportunity to enhance their skills in academics, occupations, and parenting.
- Partnerships for Re-Entry Programming (PREP): This rehabilitation program has four components; cognitive skills training, employment preparation and career development, community resource information, and victim/offender awareness. PREP aims to increase prisons transition services, track participants, and reduce the recidivism rate by 10%.
- Work Release: This program provides an opportunity for inmates with reputable work ethics to work for private employers. The work-release program enables inmates to acquire skills that help them get employment after release.
Division of Pretrial Detention and Services
This division provides the Addicts Changing Together- Substance Abuse Program, a state-certified substance abuse treatment program offered to male and female offenders at the Baltimore City Detention Center. This 45-day intensive treatment regimen provides HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, computer literacy, life skills, and basic adult education.
Division of Parole and Probation
This division enhances the security of the public and rehabilitation of offenders through these programs:
- CSAFE: This program aims to improve public safety using intensive supervision of offenders, community policing, and mobilization. The probation and parole officers supervise adult and juvenile offenders on parole/probation and impose prevention strategies to protect the public and help offenders get back to the community.
- Drinking Driver Monitor Program: This program ensures abstinence and treatment of DWI, i.e., Driving While Intoxicated/impaired and DUI, i.e., Driving Under Influence offenders. The drinking drivers monitors ensure that the DUI and DWI offenders comply with the probation terms and attend community treatment programs. Furthermore, they relay information concerning the offender’s behavior and compliance to respective courts and Motor Vehicle Administration.
Patuxent Institution
The Patuxent Institution has the following units and programs:
- The Legislatively-Mandated Programs: Eligible Person and Patuxent Youth: The program is designed for youth offenders under the age of 21 days. Likewise, it provides the program to eligible persons who have at least three years before their release, have an emotional or intellectual impairment, and are found to benefit from the program.
- Correctional Mental Health Center- Jessup: This mental health center for male offenders diagnosed with acute mental health problems
- Step-Down Unit: This unit prepares offenders to either go to the Transition unit or a maintaining facility. It treats male offenders with mental issues but who do not require intensive care at CMHC-J.
- Transition Unit: This aims at increasing the successful transition of male offenders with particular mental health issues back to the community. The unit only houses male offenders remaining a 12–18-month sentence.
- Patuxent Assessment Unit: PAU provides newly committed male criminals with services that enable them to adjust to incarceration or programs.
- Parole Violator Program: PVU is a voluntary program for male parole violators looking for a smooth transition from justice to society.
Maryland Inmate Locator
The Maryland DOC offender locator enables the public members to search the current facility housing an inmate. The state prisoner lookup provides the housing location information of inmates under the custody of the Commissioner of Corrections and residing at:
- Division of Correction Facilities
- Patuxent Institution, which offers specialized treatment
- Division of Pretrial and Detention Services (DPDS) institutions which house short sentenced offenders
However, the locator does not list every convict in the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services custody. Additionally, the locator does not include:
- Short-sentenced individuals in the Commissioner of Corrections' custody but is housed at DPDS institution
- Inmates who are out of DPSCS custody due to release or prison escape
To conduct an inmate search of inmates housed at Maryland correctional institutions, visit the inmate locator website. One can search using the first or last name of the inmate. The search provides the following details:
- The inmate’s date of birth
- Holding facility
- Inmate’s name: First, middle, and last
- Address to the holding facility
Maryland Correctional Facility Locator
Besides searching for information regarding inmates in Maryland, the department also provides the means for public members to find information about correctional facilities. The correctional facility locator database provides details about institutions that house pretrial detainees, supervised offenders, and inmates.
In the database, you can find correctional facility information such as:
- The facility’s title
- Inmate visitation hours
- Visitation rules and procedures such as the dressing code of visitors
- Content information: This includes the address, phone, fax, names of the warden, assistant warden, etc.
- How to send packages to inmates
- Inmate calling services
To find reliable information on all correctional institutions under Maryland DPSCS, go to the DOC inmate search locator.
