It took 22 years, but today Massachusetts' 17 correctional facilities all meet national standards in the field and the department is flying high.

Last week Massachusetts Department of Correction Commissioner Kathleen Dennehy accepted the Eagle Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections and the American Correctional Association at the ACA's national conference in Chicago.

Massachusetts is one of only a handful of states to receive the award, which recognizes the accomplishment of having all areas of the corrections department become accredited.

Last week Ted O'Donnell, an auditor in the Massachusetts DOC's Policy Development and Compliance Unit and DOC Spokesman Justin Latini, spoke with The Corrections Connection about the achievement.

Q: What does it mean to receive this award?

O'Donnell: the first facility was accredited in 1982. Over 22 years ago this process began.
The Eagle Award is a culmination of over 20 years of effort. What each commissioner did over that time period is support that effort. [Accreditation by the ACA means] you are interacting with the national corrections community - they promulgate standards that are the norms in the field. Over the years they revise and create new standards; it's a living thing. Over time we keep up with the national correctional practices by interacting with ACA and following these national standards. Different facilities have posed different challenges; it has taken a while.

Q: How does the Mass. DOC approach accreditation?

O'Donnell: This unit, for 11 years, we have been the liaison with ACA. We do an audit of each facility and make sure they are maintaining compliance with standards. Every three years they have to go through a re-accreditation audit. We go through a pre-audit [to determine] if the facility is being run as it should be. We have five auditors and an assistant.
We prepare [the facilities]. Every year we will audit the same month of the year or we go a couple of months in advance of an audit. We'll train the individuals who will put together the folders or train the facility staff in select groups about what the audit process is like. When we do the pre-audit, we will look at the folders make sure the staff understand the standards and take a physical plant tour. We try to facilitate proven compliance. The facility staff will be answering the auditors' questions, attending the meetings.
Each facility has an appointed accreditation manager. That won't be their sole function but their primary one is gathering documentation and continually compiling folders for accreditation.
Each facility has someone tasked with that. Their job is like a watchdog. If they are having a hard time gathering information - they will report to administration. It forces you to audit yourself and ask yourself, Are we doing monthly inspections? Are we issuing security equipment routinely?
It allows them to discover weaknesses and they will alert administration to that. It really gives them a reason to inquire about the services. It's the whole gamut of the correctional operation.
We see it as an opportunity to improve professionalism and safety.

Q: How important is the role of DOC staff in the accreditation process?

O'Donnell: Staff come and go in the various roles so you have to continuously train and monitor. It's really everybody's role. It's like those rowboats; it's not one person. And, as the roles change and there is a new food service manager or medical heath services administrator, new staff come in and need to be trained.

Latini: [It involves] corrections officers working a block to make sure they do the weekly inspection. It's right down to the line staff to take that responsibility. We've been doing this now for many years; it's a 22-year work in progress. I see the benefits and for the new staff who have come in [the changes are] part of the routine. It's something they are accustomed to. The challenge now is to make sure anyone new is trained. There's a standard and a bar that is already set. Prior to 22 years ago, it was an unknown and people were unsure of getting on board.

Q: What would you say are the benefits to the department and the facilities by accomplishing accreditation?

Latini: This is a long process and managers as well as line staff are involved. What ACA accreditation is able to do is identify the strengths and weaknesses and [we can] take the information to write sound policies and procedures. It gives line staff a tool they can use to improve their work whether it is on a cell block or in a unit or a different setting such as a hospital. Each operation will run a bit different, but when you look at the department overall, the professionalism of the staff improves and the safety for staff and inmates improves.
We've seen a vast improvement in reducing escapes and it has improved security practices. It also enhances accountability such as key control. It's all about how well we do our job