2008 News
February 15, 2008
Bucks County Men’s and Women’s Community Corrections Centers Earn Reaccreditation from American Correctional Association
Certification Presented during Monthly Meeting of Prison Oversight Board
During yesterday’s meeting of the Bucks County Prison Oversight Board, Director of Corrections Harris Gubernick announced that the Bucks County Men’s and Women’s Community Corrections Centers earned reaccreditation from the American Correctional Association (ACA). Board Chairman Sandra A. Miller told Gubernick, “You have my sincere appreciation and thanks,” asking him to convey her sentiments to the community corrections staff. Gubernick pointed out that everyone on his staff played a role in their reaccreditation
“Congratulations on your accreditation award! You are now a member of the elite in achieving correctional excellence. The certificate you have received is but a small symbol of the enormous dedication and commitment demonstrated by each and every members of your staff to the accreditation process,” wrote Mark A. Flowers, director of standards and accreditation for the American Correctional Association.
On Jan. 14, 2008, Robert Garvey, chairperson of the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections (CAC), presented three-year national accreditation to the Community Corrections Centers. In presenting the award, Garvey and Gary Maynard, president of the ACA, “complimented the facilities on their professional level of operation and their success in completing the accreditation process.”
The Community Corrections staff has again set itself among the leaders in the corrections field,” Gubernick praised. “They each played a part in the process and are to be commended for their efforts in achieving excellence in meeting the nationally recognized standards.”
The accreditation program is a peer review process based on national standards that have evolved since the ACA’s founding in 1870. These standards were developed by national leaders from the field of corrections, law, architecture, health care, and other groups interested in sound correctional management ACA standards address services, programs and operations essential to effective correctional management. Through accreditation, an agency is able to maintain a balance between protecting the public and providing an environment that safeguards the life, health and safety of staff and offenders.
Standards set by ACA reflect practical up-to-date policies and procedures and function as a management tool for agencies and facilities throughout the world.
“We again have been nationally accredited by the ACA, which is a significant designation,” county Chief Operating Officer David M. Sanko noted. “Congratulations go out to our staff for overseeing this commitment to excellence on a daily basis.”
The county facilities were originally accredited three years ago.