American Correctional Association auditors have recommended accreditation be awarded to Franklin Correctional Center, another step toward full accreditation of the North Carolina prison system.
Franklin Correctional is the 31st N.C. Department of Adult Correction location or operation recommended for accreditation.
ACA auditors found Franklin Correctional scored 100% on the audit for mandatory standards and 99% on non-mandatory standards during their intensive inspections, conducted May 20-22. The ACA Commission on Accreditation for Corrections will vote to formally grant accreditation at a future meeting.
“Our staff works tirelessly each and every shift to make sure we operate to the highest standards,” said Warden Louis Southall. “I’m grateful to Franklin staff, and to the Department’s Office of Professional Standards, for all the extra effort everyone’s made the past few months to prepare for this audit. Our success is a testament to teamwork and dedication.”
Franklin Correctional, located in Bunn, houses approximately 300 medium-custody offenders.
The audit’s 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 spent three days conducting visual inspections, reviewing policies and procedures, and probing 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.
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