Corrections_Today_Winter_2025-2026_Vol.87_No.4

STANDARDS & ACCREDITATION

Being significant in the field of corrections

By David Haasenritter

T he American Correctional Association’s vision state ment is “The American Correctional Association shapes the future of corrections through strong, progressive leadership that brings together various voices, and forges coalitions and partnerships to promote the concepts embodied in its Declaration of Principles.” The mission is the “American Correctional Association provides a professional organization for all individuals and groups, both public and private that share a common goal of improving the justice system.” ACA members play a key role in actualizing this vision and mission statement through their partici pation as leaders and volunteers. Serving on ACA committees, in work groups, on special projects and as a trainer are just some of the ways ACA members help. The Standards and Accreditation Department rely on ACA members as auditors and trainers to assist in the accreditation process. Their contributions are crucial to success ful auditing and accreditation. One such person is Amanda Moon, Chief of the Bureau of Op erational Compliance for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and

Correction (ODRC). She plays a major role in ODRC accreditation, orchestrating the accreditation process to ensure her agency not only is audit ready every day, but ODRC lives the expected practices every day. One of

mainly accreditation managers but also include staff in other disciplines (security, health care, administration, etc.) that are in volved with accreditation at their facility, program, or agency. With all the training and mentoring Amanda Moon has done in corrections and leadership, she has made so many others successful, thus she is significant. In the morning, she instructs on a specific topic that is a hot item in all disciplines of corrections (adult, juvenile community corrections, etc.). In the afternoon she will lead the adult prison breakout group on different topics and questions from participants in the group. She also has served as an in structor for five-day on-site ACA accreditation training in Missis sippi and Delaware. This training starts with classroom work in the morning and practical exer cises in a facility in the afternoon. Instructors teach in the morning

the reasons ODRC is an ACA Global Eagle and Lucy Webb Hayes agency

is due to Amanda Moon and her team.

Amanda Moon

Within ODRC she co-chairs the Female Mentoring Program. Moon contributes not only to ODRC ac creditation, but she contributes to accreditation nationally and inter nationally as an auditor, as a trainer for both ACA accreditation and au diting and staff at the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections. Accreditation, auditor and leadership training At each ACA conference, Aman da serves as an instructor at the one-day ACA accreditation man ager training. Attendees include

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