Corrections_Today_Spring_2026_Vol.88_No.1

News&Views

NEWS FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

From Rob’s Desk Safeguarding our nation’s airspace — and our facilities

ACA’s leadership in passing the Safer Skies Act I n an era when emerging tech threats, the American Correctional Association (ACA) has once again demonstrated why it remains the leading voice for public safety and professional corrections. The recent passage of the Safer Skies Act — included in the President’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — marks a historic step forward in protecting correctional facilities, their staff and the communities they serve. ACA’s advocacy was central to this achievement, providing a na tional platform for the urgent need to regulate and counter illicit drone activity around secure facilities. For years, correctional profes sionals have witnessed the rapid evolution of drone technology, and with it, the sobering reality of unmanned aircraft being used to smuggle contraband, conduct surveillance and compromise insti tutional safety and security. While nologies present both enormous promise and unprecedented

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drones have become an everyday convenience for many Americans, in corrections they have repre sented a growing and sophisticated deadly threat. The Safer Skies Act confronts this challenge head on by updating federal authorities to better detect, track and mitigate dangerous drone incursions. ACA’s role in elevating this is sue to national prominence cannot

be overstated. Through sustained engagement with lawmakers, federal partners and corrections leaders across the United States, ACA helped ensure that this legislation reflected the real op erational needs of front line professionals. By bringing cor rections’ voice into the broader homeland security discussion, ACA helped lawmakers understand

Spring 2026 | Corrections Today

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