A team of American Correctional Association auditors has recommended accreditation be awarded to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety for its prison administration operations, a high achievement in what is the first step to full accreditation of the prison system.
“Our plan is for North Carolina to have a fully accredited prison system in the next six years or less,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “This accreditation is the gold standard in the prisons business. I am pleased we were recognized for the hard work we do, and for our commitment to correctional excellence.”
The ACA standards are the national benchmark for the effective operation of correctional systems throughout the United States.
These performance-based standards address services, programs, operations, safety and security, administrative and fiscal controls, staff training and development, and more.
The auditors said the prison administration operations met 138 of 139 ACA applicable standards and the evaluated operations scored a remarkable 99.3 percent on the audit.
“This notice from the ACA is terrific news, but not a surprise,” said DPS Chief Deputy Secretary Tim Moose. “We are blessed to have a dedicated, professional, and veteran group of experts with hundreds of years of service providing administrative leadership of Prisons, and today’s finding is an acknowledgement of the hard work they quietly do each day striving for excellence. Commissioner Ishee has set an aggressive timetable for full system accreditation, and today is the beginning of that process. We look forward to full accreditation. “
The ACA standards reflect practical, up-to-date policies and procedures that safeguard the life, health, and safety of staff and offenders in prisons systems. As part of the accreditation process, the ACA auditors conducted visual inspections, reviewed policies and procedures and probed the work done by administrators to ensure best practices are being maintained in the administration of the North Carolina prison system.
During the Nov. 16 audit exit interview, the ACA auditors highlighted the level of professionalism and operational knowledge they observed during the inspection process. The auditors also were impressed with the policies, procedures, and administrative processes in place.
The North Carolina Division of Prisons is currently pursuing accreditation at four locations; the Prisons Administration Central Office, Sanford Correctional Center, the Correctional Enterprise Janitorial Products Plant and the Correctional Enterprise Sign Reclaiming Plant by the end of the year.
“I am gratified the auditors recognized our hard-working and experienced team who oversee a complex prison operation professionally and expertly, with top-notch commitment to public safety,” Ishee said.