Corrections_Today_Winter_2025-2026_Vol.87_No.4

COMMITTEES

States Army Retraining Brigade, later renamed United States Army Correctional Brigade (USACB), pro viding a “Return to Duty Program.” The third tier was the United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB), housing long-term prisoners. The Report of the Special Civilian Com mittee for the Study of the United States Army Confinement System identified the ACS as being plagued with similar problems as civilian corrections systems: personnel problems, riots, overcrowding, and a weak decentralized management structure. The study recommended an Army Correctional Command (ACC) be established and all ACS facilities would fall under the direc tion of the Provost Marshal General. Additionally, it found only 32.4 percent of the stockade’s authorized 1,492 95C MOS positions were filled with 95C Soldiers. This was no sur prise since the 95C MOS was still in its infancy and there were only a limited number of training courses at USAMPS. By 1977, the 95C MOS skill level one positions, consist ing of privates through specialist fourth class were filled, in fact over strength, forcing the MP Corps to reduce their numbers. 11 In 1981, the USDB was the first military correctional facility to be audited by the ACA, receiving their accreditation certificate at the ACA winter conference in Toronto, Canada.

Based on this report, the Army built four new confinement facili ties designed on the “telephone pole style” with housing unit wings parallel to one another connected by one long hallway. These new mod ern facilities were located at Fort Dix, New Jersey; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and Fort Carson, Colorado. The only facility still in operation is Fort Dix and it is operated by the state de partment of corrections (DOC). Accreditation and reorganization In 1981, the USDB was the first military correctional facility to be audited by the ACA, receiving their accreditation certificate at the ACA winter conference in Toronto, Cana da. The Army is presently the proud recipient of the Golden Eagle Award and the Lucy Webb Hayes Award for having the ACC headquarters, training academy, and parole board accredited and all its correctional facilities accredited and compliant with the Prison Rape Eliminate Act standards. The Army is one of only twelve DOCs worldwide to achieve and maintain this level of professionalism. The 1986 study of the “Army Corrections into the Year 2000,” recommended the creation of a cen tralized management structure to oversee the ACS and the consolida tion of correctional facilities. There were 15 IDFs; 12 active, two inac tive, and one leased to a state DOC. The active IDFs were operating at approximately 40 percent standard design capacity. The IDFs directed to close were located at Fort Meade,

Photo courtesy American Correctional Association

On Aug. 8, 2011 the American Correctional Association presented the United States Army with the Golden Eagle Award at the 141 st Congress of Correction.

Maryland; Fort Ord, California; Fort Gordon; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and Fort Polk, Louisiana. The seven remaining IDFs were located at Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Hood; Fort Sill; Fort Carson; Fort Lewis, Washington; and Fort Riley and reorganized un der the regional correctional facility (RCF) concept. The RCF concept restructured and reorganized existing IDFs equivalent to county jails into RCFs equivalent of mini prisons. Offender sentence length increased from six months to 36 months. This increase in mission required policy changes in the areas of personnel, correctional treatment programs, and administra tive support. The RCF commander’s position was upgraded to a field grade officer and required a criminal justice related graduate degree. Ad ditionally, new key positions were

Winter 2025-2026 | Corrections Today

95