Accreditation > ACA/CAC

The American Correctional Association (ACA) and the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections (CAC) are private, nonprofit organizations that administer the only national accreditation program for all components of adult and juvenile corrections.  Their purpose is to promote improvement in the management of correctional agencies through the administration of a voluntary accreditation program and the ongoing development and revision of relevant, useful standards.  Those standards cover the general areas of Administration/Management; Physical Plant; Institutional Operations; Institutional Services; and Inmate Programs.

The requirements of accreditation, a process that began in 1978, are the same for all types of agencies - state, county, federal, and private.  All programs and facilities sign a contract, pay an accreditation fee, conduct a self-evaluation, and have a standards compliance audit by trained ACA consultants prior to an accreditation decision by the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections.

The accreditation program offers the opportunity to evaluate our operations against national standards, remedy deficiencies, and upgrade the quality of our correctional programs and services.  We recognized the benefits from such a process including:

• Improved management;
• A defense against lawsuits through documentation and the demonstration of “good faith” effort to improve conditions of confinement;
• Increased accountability and enhanced public credibility for administrative and line staff;
• A safer and more humane environment for personnel and offenders; and
• The establishment of measurable criteria for upgrading programs, personnel, and physical plant on a continuing basis.

The Clark County Detention Center was initially accredited on August 10, 1998 and received re-accreditation on January 14, 2002.

The Detention Services Division of LVMPD continually reviews compliance with all standards set forth by the ACA for Adult Local Detention Facilities.  This is to ensure that the Clark County Detention Center maintains accreditation.

The ACA - CAC will audit the facility every three years to ensure that the facility is in compliance with the standards.  Upon passing, an award will be issued.  It is important to meet all required standards on a continual basis in order to maintain the award.

Visit www.aca.org for more information.