[1] The agency was created as the Prison Board (Norwegian: Fængselsstyrelsen later written Fengselsstyret) in 1875 and was subordinate to the Department of Justice and Police, headed by a director.

The Correctional Service is organised into a hierarchy consisting of the Correctional Services Directorate (Kriminalomsorgsdirektoratet) which is responsible for the professional and administrative management, a regional level, consisting of five regional administrations, and a local level with individual prison and probation offices.

[4][5][6] Correctional Services Eastern Region includes the counties of Oslo and Østfold, Akershus, and Innlandet.

Correctional Services, Western Region includes the counties of Vestland and Møre og Romsdal.

Correctional Services, Northern Region includes the counties of Trøndelag, Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark.