What is the Accreditation of Correctional Facilities?
According to Silja J.A. Talvi's Jan. 5, 2007, article in "The Nation," America's prison complex holds over 2 million people who are "locked away without public oversight or scrutiny." While the lack of public or external prison oversight is an issue that has been addressed by families, agencies, and organizations interested in protecting the rights and well-being of the imprisoned, oversight policies and standards have been developed by professionals within the corrections field. Accreditation is one of several processes developed to address the prison oversight issues.
Other People Are Reading
-
Function
-
In her comments to the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons, University of Texas professor of public policy Michele Deitch defined "non-judicial prison oversight" in terms of six functions, including accreditation. Deitch suggests accreditation is necessary to prison oversight by contributing to making prison operations, policies, and procedures clear to any interested party, as well increase the accountability of those operating the prisons. Accreditation as an oversight function provides and verifies the standards that an organization is required to meet to be publicly recognized as conforming to professional mandates. The American Correctional Association (ACA) performs this function with regard to the general operation of correctional facilities.
Accrediting Standards
-
The American Correctional Association has developed national standards related to the safe, effective and professional operation of corrections facilities. The standards are essential guides to policies and processes that protect the health and safety of prisoners and facility staff. These standards are regularly revised by a 20-member standards committee. The revisions are based on court decisions, and governmental agency practices and experiences. Twice a year, the Standards Committee reviews proposals for standards changes received from system members.
ACA has published 21 standards manuals because there are facility-specific standards. For example, there are standards for adult correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, and also for parole agencies and electronic monitoring programs.
-
Accreditation Process
-
Participation in the accreditation process is voluntary. A corrections facility contacts the ACA and asks to be accredited. The ACE sends the facility an appropriate standards manual and supplement, a manual of policy and procedure, and a standards compliance checklist. A regional manager is appointed to serve as adviser during the 18-month accreditation review process.
The facility must complete a self-evaluation report and submit it to ACA before scheduling an audit.
There are mandatory and non-mandatory standards that are evaluated in an accreditation audit. Facilities must be in 100 percent compliance with the mandatory standards and 90 percent in compliance with non-mandatory standards to receive accreditation, which lasts for three years.
After the Audit
-
Following the audit, conducted by a team of corrections professionals trained by ACA, the facility receives a report detailing the compliance levels of the facility. This report is given to the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections and the ACA, which schedules an accreditation hearing if the facility has met the necessary compliance levels. If a facility fails to meet the compliance standards, but has met all other requirements, it must correct the problem areas before the process can continue.
Accreditation Decisions
-
The decision to award or deny accreditation is based on evaluation of standards compliance levels, quality of life and confinement conditions, and an incident review. If a facility passes the audit and is accredited, the facility receives an accreditation certificate and public recognition. Annual certification reports are required of all accredited agencies to insure continued compliance with ACA standards.
At the end of the three-year accreditation period, a contract for re-accreditation is automatically generated about nine months before the expiration of accreditation. Re-accreditation may require compliance with new standards as policies, procedures, and laws change.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit latticed prison window image by Stasys Eidiejus from Fotolia.com
