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DPSCS' mission is to protect the public, our employees and those under our supervision.

Governor Martin O'Malley

Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown

DPSCS Secretary Gary D. Maynard

America's VetDogs pairs injured vets with service dogs. See more pictures from their first inmate-veteran virtual meeting on our Facebook page.

This Month's Featured Stories:

DPSCS Warrant Squad Hits Streets To Capture Errant Offenders

DPSCS telemedicine program reduces costs, risk of transport

Service Dogs Bring Inmates, Wounded Veterans Together

keeping communities safe

DPSCS Warrant Squad hits streets to capture errant offenders

As the sun rises over Maryland, the Department's Warrant Apprehension Unit is already combing the streets throughout the state picking up parole and probation violators.

The 33-member team captured more than 1,200 offenders last year. The unit prioritizes those with a history of violence in line with Gov. Martin O'Malley's Violence Prevention Initiative to take violent offenders off the streets as soon as possible. Sex offenders also receive special attention from the squad with those warrants also gaining priority.

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believing in human capital

DPSCS telemedicine program reduces costs, risk of transport

How do you save on the costs associated with securing and transporting sick and injured inmates to the hospital?

Bring the hospital to the prison.

In 2013, DPSCS partnered with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Bon Secours Hospital, rolling out a telemedicine program which lowers costs while providing inmates with high level care.

In the final two months of 2013 alone, nearly 145 inmates received consultations.

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public safety works

Service dogs bring inmates, wounded veterans together

In another groundbreaking moment for the America's VetDog-DPSCS partnership, the first-ever webcam meeting for inmates brought together the men who trained service dogs for American war heroes and the heroes who now have those dogs.

DPSCS is the first state prison system in the country to have incarcerated veterans training service dogs for wounded men and women from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. In late January, inmates at the MD Correctional Institution-Hagerstown became emotional as they spoke with two disabled veterans who have just been given two dogs that were the first MCI-H trained "graduates" of the program.

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DPSCS Warrant Squad hits streets to capture errant offenders

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Though the unit operates heavily in Baltimore, team members fan out every day across the state with representatives covering every county.

Retake warrants are issued for offenders that commit technical violations, such as failing to maintain contact with community supervision or not continuing court-ordered drug treatment. The squad also apprehends offenders that have violated their parole by committing new crimes.

The unit is given full police powers in the state and has recently been tasked with extraditing parole violators across state lines. The early morning raids prove fruitful in nabbing unsuspecting violators. "We find that's when we have our best success," said Unit Chief Kevin Baylin.

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DPSCS telemedicine program reduces costs, risk of transport+

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The 18 telemedicine units - which include a high-definition monitor and specialty medical equipment - let doctors "see" a patient and even perform some routine and specialty tests from a distance.

According to Warden Frank Bishop at Western Correctional Institution, "Due to security levels at the facilities in our region, coupled with an aging population, the transporting of inmate patients outside the secure perimeter to health facilities poses an increased risk to public safety. Due to telemedicine, we are decreasing these concerns while still affording the inmate population with a superior quality of care."

In many cases, the telemedicine program is eliminating the 300 mile round trip commute from Cumberland to facilities in Baltimore.

Current telemedicine clinics include: cardiology; urology; oncology; gastroenterology; HIV and HCV. DPSCS hopes to expand the use of telemedicine in the future to include emergency medicine and orthopedics, among others.

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Service dogs bring inmates, wounded veterans together

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The web-based conference, made possible by DPSCS IT professionals, featured the veterans participating from VetDog headquarters in Long Island, NY, and the inmates watching on a large screen from a visiting room in the prison. The veterans have received training with their brand-new dogs, which graduated from MCI-H in a moving ceremony late last year.

DPSCS is at the forefront of animal-based restorative justice programs in prison, with seven dog programs and a Thoroughbred retirement farm tended by inmates. The Department will soon add another VetDog program.

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