Corrections_Today_Summer_2025_Vol.87_No.2

STANDARDS & ACCREDITATION

Waivers The facility/program may request a waiver of the requirement that a POA be submitted to accomplish compliance with a non-compliant, non-mandatory, expected prac tice if a POA is not feasible. This could result from potential POA requirements that would conflict with statutory or other regulatory considerations or require unreal istic physical plant modifications. The waiver request must address steps taken to mitigate the effect of non-compliance with the expected practices on program operations. An example would be an expected prac tice that requires a certain amount of space in a living area, mitiga tion would be more access outside of that living area into program activities. The Visiting Committee will review and recommend whether a waiver is acceptable, and the CAC will determine if the waiver is ac cepted or whether a POA must be submitted. The CAC renders the final decision relative to the waiver request during the accreditation hearing. The granting of a waiver does not change the conclusion of non-compliance or alter the compli ance tally. Appeals The applicant can appeal any findings of the Visiting Committee. Auditors are trained and required to render the most literal and accurate interpretations of expected practices during the audits. Only the CAC has the authority and discretion to consider appeals by an applicant.

to help or approval by an organiza tion not part of the applicant or its agency, such as a state legisla ture. The Visiting Committee will review and recommend whether a POA is acceptable, and the Com mission on Accreditation (CAC) will determine if the POA is ap proved or whether a revised or updated POA must be submitted. The status of the activities stipulated in the POA must be reported in the annual accredita tion report.

The applicant’s opinion relative to the merit of an expected practice is not grounds for an appeal, nor is stating compliance during the last audit. The applicant may not present documentation that did not exist at the time of the audit. The applicant may provide additional documentation to the CAC that the Visiting Committee did not review, understanding the burden of proof the documentation existed at the time of the audit is on the applicant. The result of a successful appeal is a change in the compliance status (compliance or applicability) and recalculation of the applicants’ compliance tally. If the Commission denies the appeal, applicants may be required to submit a POA, (or may receive a waiver of the require ment that a POA be submitted). In the event a POA is requested, the applicants must submit a POA to ACA’s Standards and Accreditation Department. CT

The facility/program must show evidence of good faith efforts and progress

towards compliance pursuant to a POA.

The facility/program must show evidence of good faith efforts and progress towards compliance pursuant to a POA. If the CAC determines there has not been good faith efforts, the CAC may order interim compliance reports, monitoring visits, place the facility/ program on probation or deny reac creditation in extreme cases. An example of a POA for a non-com pliance with the number of hours of training in a training expected practice would include evaluation of training, developing training to meet the number of hours and type of training required by the expected practice and conducting the training. When the POA is com pleted, the score of the audit does not change.

Share the “Story of Us!” ACA wants to hear your ACCREDITATION STORIES. See page 2 for more information.

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.

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