Corrections Accreditation and Privatization in Recent Times,

Corrections Accreditation and Privatization

In recent times, the field of corrections has been seeking to address quite a number of emerging issues as a result of a wide range of catalysts including but of course not limited to privatization and accreditation. In this text, I explore a number of issues to do with corrections accreditation and privatization.

Corrections Accreditation

According to Stinchcomb (2011), corrections accreditation can be taken to be "an official recognition that a correctional program or facility has met certain national standards following an on-site audit." In the United States, the body charged with corrections accreditation is the American Correctional Association (ACA). As Stinchcomb (2011) notes, just as is the case with universities and hospitals or other organizations seeking to enhance their performance levels, the relevance of accreditation for corrections cannot be overstated.

In regard to how the development (professional) of corrections officers is impacted on by corrections accreditation, it can be noted that one of the key organizational purposes of ACA is the promotion of the professional development of corrections officers. Indeed, the on-site audits often result in the creation of a safer working environment for corrections officers. Further, as these officers seek to ensure that they adhere to the set standards, they tend to perform in the profession's best interests by embracing the best practices of the profession. This in exchange makes corrections officers have an increased level of pride and satisfaction in their work hence further advancing their professional development.

There are several approaches industry leaders can take so as to guarantee better correctional officer professionalization and accreditation. Basically, industry players need to come up with a more inclusive and comprehensive training manual for correctional officers. This means that correctional officers training should capture essential skills and capabilities including coping and conflict resolution skills. Such skills are necessary in managing occasional conflicts that characterize institutional life. The subsequent curriculum should also ensure that correctional officers are better acquainted with the necessary criminal justice concepts.

Part 2: Privatization

Prison privatization is essentially the transfer of prisoners from a public facility to a privately held/managed facility based on a contractual agreement between the government and private contractors. In this case, though prisoners are held in private facilities, they remain subject (financially and legally) to the government.

Basically, prison privatization seeks to save governments the full cost of running a prison facility. Over time, state and federal prisons have been experiencing an increased drain on their budgets thanks to issues relating to the economy and the criminal justice system. For instance, according to Stinchcomb (2011), there was a 104% increase in correctional spending between the year 1980 and 2000. Privatization of prisons has enabled the state and the federal prison system to make significant cost savings thus in a way addressing raising costs. Further, with corrections privatization, state and federal prisons will be capable of dealing with overcrowding problems in a more effective and proactive manner.