The DOC is the state's largest cabinet agency with multiple areas of responsibility and one core mission: public safety. Our goal is the safe custody and supervision of offenders using the best, most effective correctional policies and procedures. Our focus is on keeping our citizens protected, helping offenders succeed in the community and making every effort to reduce the cost of corrections to taxpayers.  A variety of programs and offices support the DOC's public safety mission, which includes providing support and services to crime victims.

A key goal of the DOC is to reduce recidivism, which is the percentage of offenders that are convicted of new crimes after they finish their sentences. The DOC is fully committed to an expanded reentry philosophy that aims to cut repeat crime. We work toward this goal by implementing evidence-based practices that have been shown to be successful in reducing the number of prisoners returning to the state correctional system.