American Correctional Association auditors have recommended accreditation be awarded to the Drug Abuse and Alcoholism Rehabilitation (DART) Center.
DART Center is the 47th N.C. Department of Adult Correction facility that has either been recommended or awarded ACA accreditation. NCDAC is pursuing the distinction for all its facilities and operations.
ACA auditors found DART Center met 100% of mandatory practices and 100% of non-mandatory practices during their intensive inspections, conducted Feb. 10-11. The ACA Commission on Accreditation for Corrections will vote to formally grant accreditation at a future meeting.
“The staff of DART Center is a dedicated team, and I’m very proud of them,” said facility supervisor Barbara Whitaker. “I also want to thank the leadership of DAC, as well as the agency’s accreditation and compliance specialists, for all the support and guidance they’ve provided throughout this process.”
The Goldsboro facility is a 300-bed residential treatment center for male offenders with diagnosed substance use disorders who have either completed an active sentence and have been released to parole, or have been sentenced to probation and treatment by the courts. Programming embraces a cognitive-behavior therapy using evidence-based practices dedicated to a holistic approach.
ACA audits of 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, ACA auditors spend 2-3 days conducting visual inspections, reviewing policies and procedures, and evaluating the work being done to ensure best practices are met at the correctional facility.
The NCDAC Strategic Plan calls for ACA accreditation of all facilities and operations.
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