American Correctional Association auditors have recommended accreditation be awarded to the Davidson Correctional Center in Lexington, N.C., another step toward full accreditation of the North Carolina prison system. Davidson Correctional is the 25th NCDAC location or operation recommended for accreditation.
ACA auditors said Davidson Correctional scored 100 percent on the audit for mandatory standards and 99.49 percent on non-mandatory standards during their intensive inspections, Dec. 18-20. The ACA Commission on Accreditation for Corrections will vote to formally grant accreditation at a future meeting.
“These are terrific scores and I'm very proud of the staff for everything they do to run such a safe, effective and humane prison facility,” said Warden Steven Niday. “These ACA standards are tough and I'm very glad for the help of everyone who helped us prepare for this audit.”
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 is pursuing accreditation for all its operations, as envisioned in the NCDAC Strategic Plan.