DOVER — The Delaware Department of Correction announced Wednesday that seven of its facilities — Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution, Plummer Community Corrections Center, DOC Central Administration, the Steven R. Floyd, Sr. Training Academy, Sussex Correctional Institution, Sussex Work Release Unit and Sussex Violation of Probation Center have been awarded re-accreditation by the American Correctional Association.

The ACA is a private, nonprofit, trade association and accrediting body for the corrections industry.

To achieve ACA accreditation adult correctional facilities are required to be found compliant with 100% of mandatory standards and 90% of non-mandatory standards established by the ACA. These standards represent fundamental correctional practices that:

• ensure staff and inmate safety and security;

• enhance staff morale;

• improve record maintenance and data management capabilities;

• achieve very high standards of sanitation and cleanliness across correctional facilities;

• ensure that food service provides for the nutritional needs of incarcerated individuals and maintains the highest standards of cleanliness in kitchen areas;

• assist in protecting the agency against litigation; and

• improve the function of the facility at all levels

Each of DOC’s newly re-accredited facilities had already secured ACA accreditation and are required to earn re-accreditation every three years to maintain that designation. The re-accreditation process featured a two- to three-day audit at each facility by a team of independent auditors from ACA who conducted a comprehensive inspection, reviewed files, and interviewed staff and inmates about facility conditions and operations.

Each facility’s ACA Audit Committee recommended re-accreditation by the ACA Commission on Accreditation for Corrections which is solely responsible for rendering accreditation decisions. Representatives from the Delaware Department of Correction appeared before the commission during its winter conference in January for the final re-accreditation vote.

Each facility’s accreditation scores are as follows:

• The Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution, Delaware’s statewide prison facility for women, was found to be compliant with 100% of mandatory standards and 99.3% of applicable non-mandatory standards during its on-site audit in July, 2021. BWCI received its initial ACA accreditation in 2019.

• The Plummer Community Corrections Center in Wilmington was found to be compliant with 100% of all mandatory and applicable non-mandatory standards during its on-site audit in July 2021. PCCC has maintained 100% compliance with all mandatory and applicable non-mandatory standards since its initial ACA accreditation in 2019.

• The Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown was found to be compliant with 100% of mandatory standards and 99.1% of applicable non-mandatory standards during its on-site audit in September, 2021. SCI received its initial ACA accreditation in 2016.

• The Sussex Work Release Unit in Georgetown was found to be compliant with 100% of mandatory standards and 99.5% of applicable non-mandatory standards during its on-site audit in October, 2021. SWRU received its initial ACA accreditation in 2016.

• The Sussex Violation of Probation Center in Georgetown was found to be compliant with 100% of all mandatory and applicable non-mandatory standards during its on-site audit in October, 2021. SVOP received its initial ACA accreditation in 2016.

• DOC Central Administration was found to be compliant with 100% of mandatory standards and 99.3% of applicable non-mandatory standards during its on-site audit in August, 2021. DOC Central Administration received its initial ACA accreditation in 2015.

• The Steven R. Floyd Sr. Training Academy was found to be compliant with 100% of all mandatory and applicable non-mandatory standards during its on-site audit in August, 2021. The Academy has maintained 100% compliance with all mandatory and applicable non-mandatory standards since its initial ACA accreditation in 2018.

Every Delaware Department of Correction facility has completed the ACA accreditation auditing process and all DOC facilities currently maintain ACA accreditation except James T. Vaughn Correctional Center which in November became the final DOC facility to complete an ACA audit and received a recommendation for accreditation by its ACA Audit Committee.

Representatives from JTVCC and the DOC will appear before the commission at the ACA Summer Conference in August for the final vote on JTVCC accreditation.