ACA is a money-making racket. I wish I would have thought of it!

Kinda makes you wonder if somebody is paying of members of ACA…we have yet to fail an inspection..however somethings here are so jacked up they steer the inspecters in another direction.

ACA is a joke. Honestly does anyone fail these inspections? They tell you a month or so ahead of time when they are coming, and then management has everyone running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get everything ship shape for their visit.

The poster’s comments are quite valid. There have been major criticisms of the ACA’s accreditation process at least since Chief Judge David Bazelon of the DC Circuit Court wrote a 51-page letter of resignation from the accreditation commission in 1982.

The ACA is notorious in particular for doing softball inspections of institutions owned or operated by the for-profit prison industry. ACA officials have suppressed the expressions of reservations about their cozy relationship with entities they are supposed to be auditing. The organization benefits from this rubber stamping in the form of five-figure conference sponsorships, plenary speakers, accreditation fees, training materials, advertising in Corrections Magazine, etc.

With few exceptions, the states which use local for-profits or export their prisoners are just as ineffective in insuring the safety of the public or their prisoners. Normally, these offenders are out of sight and out of mind, and hosting and sending states resist input from whistleblowers. Monitoring is almost universally haphazard and unprofessional.

The for-profits can substantially increase their bottom lines by deliberate understaffing. I don’t know of any that resist that temptation.

Frank Smith

Private Corrections Institute, a citizen watchdog non-profit

www.privateci.org

Absolutely, I have said that for years that inspection teams should just show up unannounced. I have been in corrections 13 years and to this day I have always known when a inspection is going to take place. problem lies within the higher echelon. They are all buddies so the big man calls and says hey we are coming down next week. well everything stops security wise because all the higher ups are worried about is making sure the walls are painted and the floors are waxed.

The

Corrections is becoming a very bad scene in the last five years and it is going to get worse unless we start taking back these institutions. Start staffing these places and give the officers something to defend their self with. why are we going into a fight with bare hands. I never could understand that.

We have the tools to fight with but again higher ups are afraid to use them. I think what that boils down to is they are unfamiliar with what we have and when you can use it. We are just know getting stab resistance vests the only sad thing is, is it took the life of an officer to get these approved.

B.W

With all the checks and balances we have for institutions, like ACA, CFM, etc., and audits done by various organizations, why isn’t someone looking at staffing to ensure positions are being filled all the time and not just during inspections? Why don’t inspection teams just show up rather than give the institution months to fix everything that is wrong? RF

This would make sure everything is done right all the time, instead of those few days the inspection team is guided through only what they want to see. They mostly just go through the motions, and don't seem to look at anything too closely like rosters, which will show what is going on and question the shift supervisors who have to make due with what they have. The real story behind officer deaths will surface with liabilities lying where they should. A close look into this area may help save lives.