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Department Accreditation
The Commission on Accreditation for Corrections
has awarded accreditation to the Bristol County
House of Correction according to an announcement
sent to Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson by Robert
Garvey, Chairperson of the commission. This
announcement confirms the satisfactory completion
of a rigorous self-evaluation by the staff
of the Bristol County House of Correction,
followed by an outside review by a team of
independent auditors. The facility received
an overall score of 100% on mandatory standards
and 98% on non-mandatory standards.
The
Dartmouth House of Correction was originally
accredited in 2004. In May 2007, the facility
underwent a 3-day operational re-accreditation
conducted by auditors from the American
Correctional Association. The three auditors
were correctional professionals from Tennessee,
Illinois and Florida.
The
audit included a physical plant inspection
of the facility to determine the conditions
of confinement and quality of life for the
inmate population. It also involved the
assessment of 384 mandatory and non-mandatory
standards that cover all aspects of facility
operations, such as security issues, health
and food services, fire safety, environmental
conditions, social and academic programs,
staff training, and inmate discipline and
inmate rights.
Hodgson
expressed pride in his staff for achieving
this high honor during a period of tight
fiscal restraints forced on the facility
when the state slashed the budget request
by more than five million dollars.
"It
would be hard for the ordinary citizen to
even imagine the dedication and professionalism
that was necessary for us to capture this
award with the staff shortages budget cuts
necessitated," Hodgson said. "It
is a testimony to their selfless approach
to what, even in the best of economic times
is a difficult and demanding job."
The
Sheriff said that the award remains an example
of teamwork and the involvement of all facets
of the Sheriff's Office - security, administration,
maintenance, kitchen staff and health services.
The
American Correctional Association is a private,
non-profit organization that administers
the only national accreditation program
for our nation's correctional systems. It
was established in 1870 and has been accrediting
jails, houses of correction and detention
centers since 1978.
The
purpose of the accreditation process is
to promote improvements in the management
of correctional facilities. It provides
an opportunity for prison administrators
to compare their operations to nationally
accepted practices; helps identify facility
strengths and weaknesses; and reviews department
policies and procedures. The re-accreditation
process reviews whether the facility has
consistently functioned in accordance with
ACA standards during a 3-year-period.
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