The Department of Public Safety and Corrections consists of three main divisions:

Corrections Services, which oversees the custody and care of adult offenders and includes individuals under Probation and Parole supervision; Public Safety Services, which encompasses Louisiana State Police, the Office of Motor Vehicles, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and Highway Safety Commission; and the Office of Juvenile Justice, which oversees the juvenile justice system in Louisiana.

The Secretary, who is appointed by the Governor, serves as the Department's chief executive officer.  The Corrections Services Deputy Secretary, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary and Chief of Operations all report directly to the Secretary.

Office of the Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for the functioning and control of all programs within the Department.  He formulates rules and regulations and determines policy regarding management, personnel, and total operations.  He leads and supports central office and field unit staffs, which are charged with carrying out the work of the agency.

As part of the Secretary’s Office, the Deputy Secretary is responsible for special duties and functions as assigned by the Secretary.  Primary among them are the coordination and management of the Department's Critical Incident Stress Management response, support and facilitation of the Risk Review Panel process and oversight of the Legal Services division.

Other executive staff carry out long and short-term projects.  Under the direction of the General Counsel, The Legal Office provides a variety of services in representing the legal interests of the Department. The attorneys working within the Legal Office advise the Secretary, executive staff, and other employees of their legal rights and responsibilities in the development and implementation of agency policy and procedure. The Legal Office represents the Department's interests in administrative appeals relating to offender and employee discipline in addition to overseeing the Department's contracting needs. The Legal Office works closely with the Attorney General's Office in representing the Department before state and federal courts in Louisiana.

The Crime Victims Service Bureau coordinates the Department's response to crime victims, including the process of registration and notification in addition to supporting restorative justice initiatives.

Office of Offender Reentry

Under the authority of the Assistant Secretary, the Office of Offender Reentry is responsible for the development and management of reentry programming.  The program uses innovative approaches such as resource building, sound policy and collaborative efforts among agencies to support an offender's successful reintegration into society so that he/she can be productive citizens upon release from prison.

Office of the Undersecretary/Chief of Staff

Under the authority of the Undersecretary, the Office of Management and Finance provides management support to all units in activities involving fiscal management, grant administration, information services, food services, maintenance and construction, performance audit, procurement and contractual review, human resources, and the Prison Enterprises Division.  The Undersecretary serves as Chief of Staff for Headquarters operations and, as such, coordinates policies and addresses organizational issues that impact the Department.

Office of Adult Services

Under the direction of the Chief of Operations, the Office of Adult Services (OAS) provides administrative oversight of and support for the operational programs of the adult institutions and provides technical assistance to local jail facilities.  The Chief of Operations leads and directs the Department's operational audit teams, which conduct audits of all adult institutions, non-secure contract facilities, and community work release centers and assist all units with matters relative to the maintenance of American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation. OAS staff support the Administrative Remedy Procedure and disciplinary appeal processes, screen and recommend offenders for participation in work release, and maintain central office ACA accreditation. There are thirteen adult institutions under the broad authority of Chief of Operations, including two operated under contractual agreements with private management corporations (Allen Correctional Center and Winn Correctional Center).

Legal Services

Under the direction of the General Counsel, the Legal Office provides a variety of services in representing the legal interests of the Deparment. The attorneys working within the Legal Office advise the Secretary, executive staff, and other employees of their legal rights and responsibilities in the development and implementation of agency policy and procedure.

The Legal Office represents the Department's interests in administrative appeals relating to offender litigation and employee discipline in addition to overseeing the Department's contracting needs. The Legal Office works closely with the Attorney General's Office in representing the Department before state and federal courts in Louisiana.

Probation and Parole

Under the direction of the Assistant Secretary, the division of Probation and Parole is comprised of twenty district offices throughout the state and a Headquarters office in Baton Rouge.  P&P functions as a community services division.  Officers supervise adult offenders who are released to the community on probation, parole, diminution of sentence or medical furlough.  They also supervise offenders in ten community rehabilitation centers (CRC's) and those in the intensive parole cases from the institutional IMPACT (Intensive Motivational Program of Alternative Correctional Treatment).  Officers in the division provide investigative services to decision-makers  in the criminal justice system, including judges, the Pardon and Parole Boards and the Governor's Office.  They oversee collection of various criminal justice fees, supervision fees and victim restitution.

The Probation and Parole division is actively involved in the Department's efforts to reduce recidivism through the Office of Offender Reentry.

Prison Enterprises

Prison Enterprises operates a diversified group of industry and agriculture
operations located at nine different correctional facilities throughout Louisiana. These operations provide work opportunities to approximately 1000 - 1200 offenders in over 30 different industry and agriculture positions.

Today, there are nearly 20,000 offenders incarcerated in state correctional facilities. Prison Enterprises plays an important role in Department of Corrections operations by providing work opportunities for offenders, utilizing the resources of the department to produce food and other necessary items used by offenders  in order to lower the cost of incarceration, and providing products and services to other state agencies and local governments.

Prison Enterprises employs approximately 80 full-time employees in its operations statewide.

Pardon Board

The five members of the Board of Pardons are appointed by the Governor.  The Board meets on regularly scheduled, publicly announced dates to consider applications for pardon, sentence commutation and restoration of rights and privileges of citizenship.  All of the Board's recommendations for clemency are forwarded to the Governor for final action.

Parole Board

The seven members of the Board of Parole are appointed by the Governor.  Board members function in three-person panels to grant or deny parole to eligible offenders.  They also set behavior conditions for offenders released to parole by action of the board or by diminution of sentence and hold hearings for offenders facing revocation for violating conditions of their supervision requirements.