Evaluating American Correctional Association Accreditation Of Adult Correctional Institutions

This research study focuses on the impact that accreditation by the American Correctional Association has on violence, crowding, and educational and counseling offerings in adult correctional facilities. Data from the American Correctional Association and the 1995 and 2000 Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities are studied by joining databases and performing statistical analysis on the resulting data. The resulting analysis reveals negative relationships between ACA accreditation and violence and positive relationships between ACA Accreditation and educational and counseling program offerings in adult correctional institutions.