NCJ Number
230662
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 72 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2010 Pages: 58-60
Date Published
February 2010
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article looks at the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services and how it has evolved since it first began seeking accreditation through the American Correctional Association.
Abstract
The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) first began seeking accreditation from the American Correctional Association (ACA) in the late 1970s. This article looks at NDCS's journey through the accreditation process with the ACA. It examines the relationship between ACA's evolving standards and the positive changes that have been seen throughout NDCS that continue to benefit staff, inmates, and Nebraska communities. Prior to NDCS seeking accreditation, many correctional facilities operated primarily through oral tradition; written, standardized policies and procedures did not exist. After the NDCS began the accreditation process, the first edition of ACA standards were introduced into the system and the process of documenting policies began. The article looks at the difficulties that NDCS faced during the early years of this process. In August 2007, the NDCS became one of a handful of organizations to achieve 100 percent accreditation. Some of the benefits resulting from the ACA accreditation process include: a positive impact on correctional employees that include better working conditions and improved safety; an improved quality of life for the incarcerated population; improvements to the health care system operated by the NDCS; and positive improvements to NDCS's training programs. A discussion of the positive benefits resulting from the accreditation process is presented.