The Commission on Accreditation for Corrections (CAC) and the American Correctional Association (ACA) awarded reaccreditation to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks and the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility Aug. 16 in recognition for maintaining excellence in the operations of adult correctional institutions.
In March 2024, three civilian corrections consultants spent a week at Fort Leavenworth validating 573 performance-based standards and expected measures for the USDB and MWJRCF. The auditors reviewed protocols and conducted process indicators by reviewing documents, personal observations and interviewing staff and inmates alike. While at the facilities, the auditors act as the “eyes and ears” of the accreditation process in addition to preparing a 50-page Visiting Committee Report. The VCR was sent to ACA staff for review and submitted to the commission for consideration at the ACA 154th Congress of Correction in Nashville, Tennessee.
During the commission panel hearings, both facilities received laudatory comments from the commissioners for achieving perfect scores with a 100 percent rating. The accreditation is valid for a three-year period, and this is the fourth reaccreditation for the MWJRCF. In 1981, the USDB led the way for the Army and the Department of Defense by being the first military correctional facility to earn accreditation and has been continuously accredited since 1987. Additionally, the Northwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington, received its initial accreditation of the newly built facility with a 100 percent rating against core jail standards.
The U.S. Army was recognized at the Congress of Correction opening session as one of only seven departments of corrections and the only federal agency to achieve the Lucy Webb Hayes Award. This award is presented to the agency or program that has achieved both ACA full accreditation and Prison Rape Elimination Act guidelines compliance for every component within its area of responsibility. The Lucy Webb Hayes Award represents the dedication of these agencies to enhancing public safety and the well-being of those in their care.
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