The Department of Corrections (DOC) is responsible for the incarceration of felony offenders. This population includes offenders sentenced to confinement for violent, sex, person, drug, and offenders receiving alternative sentences. The majority of resources are allocated for custody activities such as the transportation of offenders, operation and security of offender housing units, perimeter and access control, and security threat group monitoring and investigation. Prison-based production of goods as enterprise and job skills is reflected in this activity. Other items purchased through this activity include food service, laundry, clothing, and janitorial services; the administration of offender records; and routine maintenance and repairs to state-owned facilities and infrastructure.

The Department of Corrections (DOC) is responsible for medical and dental services for incarcerated offenders. Resources dedicated to this activity allow the DOC to hire or contract for health services staff and to purchase the goods and services necessary to provide basic health services to offenders (such as on-site medical and dental) and off-site inpatient and outpatient services. These services consist of primary care scheduled visits, sick calls, outpatient medical clinic care, x-ray, lab, radiology, dental services, inpatient infirmary care, and risk management evaluations and assessments for the DOC and the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board.

The Department of Corrections (DOC) is responsible for supervising certain felony and gross misdemeanor offenders upon release or when completing a sentence in the community. These adult offenders may present high to low safety risks to communities as offenders qualify or earn release from jail and prison confinement. Resources are allocated for supervision activities/oversight that includes, but is not limited to, monitoring conditions of supervision, developing offender accountability plans, case planning, intervention activities, and violation hearings. The basic means of reporting is face-to-face contact and by kiosk, depending upon the offender's history of violence or the nature of current violation behavior. The DOC imposes swift and certain sanctions to reinforce expectations during the transition as offenders earn less restriction. The DOC collaborates with victims and stakeholders over accountability.

The Department of Corrections (DOC) must provide basic infrastructure services in support of the confinement, supervision, and rehabilitation of offenders. This activity includes such fundamental services as accounting, budgeting, contracting, purchasing, human resources, information technology, public disclosure, data and research, communications and agency administration

The Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB) makes a judicial determination of fitness for release and rehabilitation for offenders who committed their crimes before July 1984 per RCW 9.95.100. Certain sex offenders are under ISRB jurisdiction for crimes committed after August 2001. The statutory basis for consideration of their release is RCW 9.95.420.

The Department of Corrections (DOC) must provide basic infrastructure from services provided by other state agencies. This activity consolidates payments the DOC makes to other support services agencies. Funding supports department-wide services to include, but not limited to, self-insurance premiums, risk management, state human resources, information services, and other general administrative services. Service agencies include the Office of Financial Management, Consolidated Technology Services, Washington State Patrol, Secretary of State, Department of Enterprise Services, State Auditor’s Office, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Office of Administrative Hearings.

The Department of Corrections (DOC) provides programming to offenders based on an individual's identified risks and needs. Programming resources are allocated for evidenced based interventions designed specifically to address underlying criminogenic behaviors, thoughts and actions to reduce recidivism and increase pro-social behavior, thereby changing adult offenders’ propensity to reoffend. Interventions include adult education, sex offender and chemical dependency treatment, and cognitive behavioral interventions. To ensure that offenders receive the correct program dosage and sequence, validated assessment tools and quality assurance measures for program fidelity are utilized. Offender change programs and activities cut across the continuum from entry into prison through release to the community, and community supervision.