The department works to promote public safety by holding offenders accountable for their actions and reducing the risk of future criminal behavior. Department of Corrections has custody of ab​out 12,100 adults sentenced to prison for more than a year in 12 state prisons throughout the state. It also oversees community parole and post-prison supervision of about 2,500 individuals in Linn and Douglas Counties. The department is recognized nationally among correctional agencies for providing adults in custody with the cognitive, education and job skills needed to become productive citizens when they transition back to their communities.

Oregon’s recidivism rate is about 35% when defined as the total percentage of a release cohort that was convicted of any felony at any time within the specified number of months following release from prison or jail. The recidivism rate is 28.5% when defined as the total percentage of an admission cohort that was convicted of any felony at any time within the specified number of months after beginning probation.