American Correctional Association auditors have recommended accreditation be awarded to New Hanover Correctional Center.
New Hanover Correctional is the 50th N.C. Department of Adult Correction facility or operation that has either been recommended or awarded ACA accreditation. NCDAC is pursuing the distinction for all its facilities and operations.
ACA auditors found New Hanover Correctional met 100% of mandatory practices and 98.9% of non-mandatory practices during their intensive inspections, conducted Sept. 15-17. The ACA Commission on Accreditation for Corrections will vote to formally grant accreditation at a future meeting.
“Our staff is dedicated every day, but they worked especially hard for us to meet this goal. I am extremely proud of them,” said Warden Johnny Spearman. “I also want to thank our department and South Central Region leadership, as well as DAC’s accreditation and compliance specialists, for all the support and guidance they’ve provided throughout this process.”
New Hanover Correctional Center houses approximately 380 men in minimum custody. It is a designated re-entry facility for people having less than two years remaining in their sentences. It also has one of the largest work release populations among state correctional facilities, with more than 140 leaving each day to work for private employers in the surrounding community.
ACA audits of performance-based standards evaluate fundamental correctional practices that
- ensure staff and offender safety and security
- enhance staff morale
- improve record maintenance and data management capabilities
- and improve the function of the facility.
As part of the accreditation process, ACA auditors spent three days conducting visual inspections, reviewing policies and procedures, and evaluating the work being done to ensure best practices are met at the prison.
The NCDAC Strategic Plan calls for ACA accreditation of all facilities and operations.