NCJ Number
83419
Date Published
1981
Length
154 pages
Annotation
This revised edition of the American Correctional Association (ACA) standards for adult local detention facilities, including jails and holding or lockup facilities, was developed after the standards were field tested, used in the accreditation process, reformulated, and reviewed professionally.
Abstract
The 392 standards pertain to 22 categories, including administration; organization; management and management research; fiscal management; personnel; training and staff development; inmate records; the physical plant; and safety, security, and emergency procedures. They also address food service; sanitation and hygiene; medical and health care; communication, mail, and visiting; and inmate rights, rules, and discipline, including control of special inmates. Other categories include admission procedures; inmate classification; work programs and other services; release preparation and temporary release; and citizen involvement and use of volunteers. In developing the standards, the ACA and the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections had to evaluate the varied and complex roles of local detention facilities, which are usually operated by individual jurisdictions using law enforcement staff. Their role as short-term, secure facilities for pretrial detainees differs from that of other correctional institutions. Each standard is weighted 'mandatory,' 'essential,' or 'important,' and facilities desiring accreditation must meet all of the mandatory, 90 percent of the essential, and 80 percent of the important standards. A glossary, index, 15 references, and the ACA code of ethics are appended. A chart comparing weighted values for standards in the first edition is also included.