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South Carolina Department of Corrections
Abbreviation	SCDC
Patch of the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Agency overview
Formed	1866
Preceding agency	South Carolina State Penitentiary
Employees	Approx. 6,000
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction*	State of South Carolina, USA
Map of South Carolina Department of Corrections's jurisdiction.
Size	32,020 square miles
Population	4,479,800 (2008 est.)[1]
General nature	Law enforcement Civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Columbia, South Carolina
Agency executive	John Ozmint, Director
Facilities
Institutions	28
Website
SCDC Website
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) is the agency responsible for corrections in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It currently has about 6,000 employees and 23,000 inmates, in 28 institutions. The agency has its headquarters in Columbia.^[2]

History

The South Carolina penal system was essentially founded in 1866, when the first state penitentiary was constructed. The SCDC was created in 1960, when the state governor decided to end abuses in the previous system (particularly the use of convict labor on private property as a form of political reward). The new SCDC removed chains and stripes from inmates' uniforms, and it established inmate education programs.

The numbers of inmates since the SCDC creation are as follows: 2,073 (1960); 2,705 (1970); 7,869 (1980); 16,149 (1990); 22,053 (2000).

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the South Carolina Department of Corrections, 1 officer has died in the line of duty. ^[3]

See also

South Carolina portal

Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

• List of South Carolina state prisons
• List of law enforcement agencies in South Carolina
• List of United States state correction agencies
• Prison

References

1. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008". United States Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/popest/states/tables/NST-EST2008-01.csv. Retrieved 2009-02-01.  
2. ^ "Institutions." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.
3. ^ The Officer Down Memorial Page

External links

• SCDC web site (This site includes the historical information cited here.)
• SCDC Incarcerated Inmate Search (Search by name or by SCDC ID.)