NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - The American Correctional Association (ACA) accredited eight Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) correctional institutions during the ACA's 2024 conference in Washington, DC. The standards created and refined by the ACA represent fundamental 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 or agency at all levels.

"I am proud to acknowledge our staff's daily efforts to achieve excellence and maintain our reputation as a national leader in correctional practices," said Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon. "Obtaining ACA accreditation is a significant opportunity to showcase our hard work, reinforce our strong foundation, and continue our commitment to public safety. I want to thank our leaders across the state who remain dedicated to our vital mission."

Over the last year, ACA audit teams from across the country visited Apalachee, Baker, Calhoun, Columbia, Hamilton, Holmes, Liberty, and Okeechobee Correctional Institutions to conduct comprehensive on-site audits of all aspects of prison operations. Each of these institutions were 100 percent compliant with mandatory standards.

For more than 150 years, the ACA has been the recognized worldwide authority in corrections, and its Commission on Accreditation for Corrections certifies correctional facilities. FDC began the process of seeking nationally recognized accreditation from the ACA in 1968. All of Florida's major state institutions are accredited by the ACA.

For more information about the accreditation process, please visit the American Correctional Association page.