Corrections_Today_Fall_2025_Vol.87_No.3

STANDARDS & ACCREDITATION

ODRC hosted two auditor train ing courses in the last two years, one including staff of the Ohio Department of Youth Services. Chambers-Smith provided this opportunity for her staff to become auditors which allows them to grow as professionals and provides ACA with quality future auditors. Thanks to this initiative, ACA now has ap proximately 50 additional auditors who work in health care, prisons, training academies, parole board and probation and parole supervision. Community corrections One area with an acute short fall of auditors has been in community corrections. In June 2025, the Ohio Commu nity Corrections Association and Alvis, Inc. co-sponsored auditor training for staff working in com munity corrections. This was the first auditor training course specific to community corrections with the training tailored for community corrections. Eighteen (18) students partici pated in the training from agencies across Ohio. The students repre sented Community Assessment and Treatment Services, Talbert House, Oriana House, Volunteers of Ameri can Ohio and Indiana, Community Restoration Centers of Stark County and Community Transition Center. ACA has subsequently received a sec ond agency wanting auditor training just for community corrections. The training was one and half days. The curriculum was similar to new auditor training but the focus was on examples and expected prac tices from the Adult Community

Photo courtesy Alvis, Inc.

Corrections Standards Manual and included hands-on practical experience. The curriculum included: audi tor administrative requirements including a code of conduct; ACA accreditation and audit process including conducting a tour and interviews; practical exercises on conducting a tour and interviews; reviewing file folders including an exercise in reviewing file folders; non-applicable expected practice determination and a final exam. The instructors included ACA community corrections audi tor Dawn Baker (Oriana House), Jennifer Stohr (Alvis) and David Haasenritter (ACA). Guest speak ers included Denise Robinson (ACA Immediate Past President), Tom Stickrath (Chairman, CAC) and Linda Janes (CAC Member). Thank you Ohio I would like to thank Alvis and the Ohio Community Correc tions Association for providing the training facility at the Alvis, Inc. headquarters, the Alvis, Alum Creek Residential Program facility for practical exercise and all their logistical and coordination support.

I would also like to thank the students who actively participated in the discussions and practical exercises. The quality of the learning sessions convinced me ACA will be getting a excellent group of commu nity corrections auditors. Lastly, I would like to thank all the instruc tors and guest speakers for making this a great training and new module for ACA auditor training. Thank you, Ohio, for leading the way in assisting ACA in recruiting and training new auditors. Who else will step up to the plate to sponsor and support ACA auditor training at an agency or facility? Not only will you be helping ACA recruit staff who are still in the field to be auditors and provide facilities/agen cies an audit pool for internal audits but you will be giving your staff a chance to grow professionally as an ACA auditor. CT

David Haasenritter is the Director of Standards & Accreditation at the American Correctional Association in Alexandria, VA. For more

information, contact David Haasenritter at (703) 224-0070 or davidh@aca.org.

Corrections Today | Fall 2025

100