JAMESTOWN
– The Commission on Accreditation for Corrections accredited Sierra
Conservation Center (SCC) with the American Correctional Association (ACA)
yesterday. SCC is one of 16 California Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation (CDCR) prisons now accredited with the oldest and largest
international correctional association in the world.
“ACA
accreditation is an important and highly respected indicator which demonstrates
that our state prisons are being operated safely, professionally, humanely and
in compliance with the U.S. Constitution,” said CDCR Secretary Jeff Beard. “I
commend all CDCR employees for their ongoing commitment to ensuring our
facilities meet and exceed such strict standards.”
“Earning
ACA accreditation is a tremendous achievement and represents the ‘can do’
attitude our employees have to complete any challenge put in front of them” SCC
Warden Heidi M. Lackner said. “ACA accreditation is good for CDCR and has
challenged us to review our processes, improve working conditions for staff and
living conditions for inmates, and promoted teamwork and pride in our
facilities.”
For
more than 143 years, the ACA has been the recognized worldwide authority in
corrections and its Commission on Accreditation for Corrections certifies
correctional facilities. The ACA is responsible for conducting the audits; the
Commission, comprised of corrections professionals from across the country, is
responsible for granting or denying the accreditation.
ACA
standards are the national benchmark for the effective operation of
correctional facilities. The ACA’s Standards Committee continually revises
standards based on changing practices, current case law, agency experiences and
the expert opinions of corrections professionals, doctors, legal experts and
architects. Adult and juvenile facilities, community-based programs, and parole
and probation agencies all use ACA standards. Lawyers, judges, county
administrators, academia and advocacy groups also use ACA standards as a tool
to ensure the constitutional rights of offenders and to protect staff and the
public.
Institutions
seeking accreditation must undergo rigorous reviews and evaluations that
culminate in the accreditation audit. CDCR’s Special Review Unit in the Office
of Audits and Court Compliance provides departmental oversight and works with
the Division of Health Care Services in the accreditation process.
The
accreditation audit is a comprehensive review that encompasses every area of
prison management including administrative and fiscal controls, staff training
and development, the physical plant, safety and emergency procedures,
conditions of confinement, rules and discipline, inmate programs, health care, food
service, sanitation, and the provision of basic services that can affect the
life, safety and health of inmates and staff.
Institutions
seeking accreditation have to comply with 529 ACA standards and score 100
percent for 62 mandatory requirements and at least 90 percent on 467 non-mandatory
requirements. Half of the mandatory standards address health care.
ACA
audit teams visited SCC and conducted comprehensive on-site audits of all
aspects of prison operations. SCC met all of the mandatory requirements and scored
98.8 percent, significantly exceeding the 90 percent mark for non-mandatory
items.
California
Institution for Women, Centinela State Prison, Chuckawalla Valley State Prison,
Folsom State Prison, Ironwood State Prison, Kern Valley State Prison and Wasco
State Prison and Reception Center were also accredited yesterday by the ACA
during its 144th Congress of Correction in Salt Lake City.
CDCR’s
goal is to have all of its 34 institutions accredited by 2017.
For more about
CDCR: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/
For more about the
American Correctional Association: http://www.aca.org/