NCJ Number
190475
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 63 Issue: 5 Dated: August 2001 Pages: 125-129,138
Date Published
August 2001
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article discusses certification of correctional staff and accreditation of correctional organizations.
Abstract
The purpose of accreditation is to promote improvement in the management of correctional agencies by applying relevant standards to a voluntary external review process. The purpose of a certification program is to uphold standards for competent practice and to encourage high performance standards among correctional personnel. The article describes the correctional certification process for four categories of personnel: executive, manager, supervisor, and officer. It also considers the role of certification in professionalization and the future of corrections professionalism. Specifically, it questions whether the corrections field itself will support this approach, whether it will demonstrate a desire to upgrade its image and its professional stature. The article concludes that, while certification alone may not be sufficient to achieve professionalization, it is a necessary ingredient. But, unless it is comprehensively embraced, corrections is likely to remain consigned to the status of an unregulated occupation rather than an emerging profession. Notes, references