American Correctional Association auditors have recommended accreditation be awarded to the Sampson Correctional Institution, 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 Department of Adult Correction Audit Administrator Paula Page, whose team of professionals assist and guide the facilities in preparing for ACA accreditation. “I am pleased the ACA auditors have recognized the outstanding work by our staff and our commitment to excellence.”
The ACA standards are the national benchmark for the effective operation of correctional facilities throughout the United States.
ACA auditors said the prison, located in Clinton, scored 100 percent on the audit for mandatory standards and an outstanding 98.8 percent on non-mandatory standards during their intensive inspections, Oct. 2-4.
These performance-based standards evaluate fundamental correctional practices that ensure staff and offender 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.
The Department of Adult Correction is pursuing accreditation for all prison facilities and Correction Enterprises operations, as envisioned in the NCDAC Strategic Plan.
“Our team of professionals are hard-working and devoted to achieving excellence,” said long-time Warden Robert Van Gorder. “It is wonderful that the auditors recognized the efforts of our staff with these tremendous scores, and I am grateful. I also want to thank the team who worked on preparing for this intensive and extensive audit.”