The American Correctional Association has awarded accreditation to the Lincoln Correctional Center, a high achievement and another step toward full accreditation of the North Carolina prison system.
“This accreditation is the gold standard in the corrections profession,” said Prisons’ audit administrator Paula Page, whose team of professionals assist and guide the facilities in preparing for ACA accreditation. “I am very pleased the ACA has recognized the hard work by our staff and our commitment to correctional excellence.”
The ACA standards are the national benchmark for the effective operation of correctional systems throughout the United States.
ACA auditors said the prison, located in Lincolnton, scored 100 percent on the audit for mandatory standards and a remarkable 99.5 percent on non-mandatory standards during their intensive inspections June 8-10.
These performance-based standards evaluate fundamental correctional practices that ensure staff and inmate safety and security; enhance staff morale; improve record maintenance and data management capabilities; and improve the function of the facility.
As part of the accreditation process, the ACA auditors conducted visual inspections, reviewed policies and procedures and probed the work being done to ensure best practices are met at the prison.
Prisons leadership is pursuing accreditation for all prison facilities and Correction Enterprises operations, as envisioned in the strategic plan found here: https://files.nc.gov/ncdps/documents/files/Division-of-Prisons-Strategi…
“We have hard-working professionals with decades of experience,” said Warden Jeffrey McGhee. “Our prison is operated with a commitment to excellence and attention to details, and I’m grateful the ACA recognized the dedication of our staff with these outstanding scores and full accreditation.”