A team of American Correctional Association auditors has recommended accreditation be awarded to the Western Correctional Center for Women, a high achievement in an ongoing effort to obtain full accreditation of the North Carolina prison system.

“This accreditation is the gold standard in the prisons business,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “I am pleased we were recognized for the hard work we do, and for our commitment to correctional excellence. I’m proud of our team.” The ACA standards are the national benchmark for the effective operation of correctional systems throughout the United States.

The auditors said the prison scored a remarkable 100 percent on the audit for mandatory standards and 99.5 percent on non-mandatory standards.

These performance-based standards evaluate fundamental correctional practices that ensure staff and inmate 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, the ACA auditors conducted visual inspections, reviewed policies and procedures and probed the work being done to ensure best practices are met at the prison.

Prisons leadership is pursuing accreditation for all prison facilities and Correction Enterprises operations, as envisioned in the strategic plan found here: https://files.nc.gov/ncdps/documents/files/Division-of-Prisons-Strategic...

“I am pleased the auditors recognized our hard-working and experienced team who run the prison so professionally and expertly,” said April Shoup, acting warden at the prison.