Administrative Review & Risk Management Division
Review & Standards
American Correctional Association (ACA)
A three-year cycle of external auditing, the American Correctional Association (ACA) provides an independent assessment of agency achievement of industry standards, and federally mandated accreditation of correctional health care.
- Initial Accreditation - The process of conducting unit-level assessment, with a standards compliance audit by trained ACA consultants prior to an accreditation decision by the Board of Commissioners. Once accredited, all programs and facilities submit annual certification statements to ACA.
- Re-Accreditation - The three-year period during which the agency maintains and improves upon its compliance levels that were achieved at the time of the initial accreditation award.
- Unit Level - Unit ACA Coordinators are generally responsible for ensuring construction and maintenance of the ACA Folders documenting policies, procedures, and practices.
- Regional Level - The Monitoring & Standards Team assists TDCJ units as they enter into the initial ACA accreditation process and during the continuing re-accreditation process. Technical guidance and support are provided to ensure compliance with Agency policy, procedure and applicable ACA standards.
- Central Office - Review and Standards staff networks with the national organization in scheduling and facilitating audits, and represents the Agency at Board of Commissioners hearings.
- Current Status - There are currently 95 TDCJ units (state map and listing; also a link to unit profiles) accredited, as well as the Baten Unit and the TDCJ Training Academy.
For more information
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Review & Standards
Russell Bailey
P.O. Box 99
Huntsville, TX 77342-0099