American Correctional Association auditors have recommended accreditation be awarded to Black Mountain Substance Abuse Treatment Center for Women.
The Black Mountain Center is the 48th 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 Black Mountain met 100% of mandatory practices and 100% of non-mandatory practices during their intensive inspections, conducted March 6-7. The ACA Commission on Accreditation for Corrections will vote to formally grant accreditation at a future meeting.
“The staff did an outstanding job preparing for this audit. They’re a dedicated team, and I’m very proud of them,” said facility supervisor Dexter Gibbs. “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.”
Black Mountain Center is a 64-bed residential treatment center for female offenders with diagnosed substance abuse disorders who have either completed an active sentence and have been released to parole, or who 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 prison.
The NCDAC Strategic Plan calls for ACA accreditation of all facilities and operations.