Editing American Correctional Association

{{Short description|Private non-profit trade association}}
{{pp-dispute|small=yes}}
[[File:American Correctional Association Logo.png|thumb|right|American Correctional Association logo]]

The '''American Correctional Association''' ('''ACA'''; called the '''National Prison Association''' before 1954) is a private, non-profit, non-governmental trade association and accrediting body for the corrections industry, the oldest and largest such association in the world. The organization was founded in 1870 and has a significant place in the history of [[prison reform]] in the U.S.

ACA accredits over 900 prisons, jails, community residential centers (halfway houses), and various other corrections facilities in the U.S. and internationally, using their independently published standards manuals.  Approximately 80 percent of all U.S. state [[Department of Corrections|departments of corrections]] and youth services are active participants. Also included are programs and facilities operated by the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] and the private sector. 

Shane Bauer of ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]'' wrote that the ACA functions as "the closest thing [the United States has] to a national regulatory body for prisons" in addition to being the American correctional industry's [[trade association]].<ref name=Bauer1>[[Shane Bauer|Bauer, Shane]]. "[https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/06/cca-private-prisons-corrections-corporation-inmates-investigation-bauer My four months as a private prison guard.]" ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]''. July/August 2016. Retrieved on June 27, 2016.</ref> According to their website, the ACA has more than 5,000 members.<ref>{{cite web |title=Past, Present and Future |url=http://aca.org/pastpresentfuture/history.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202172612/http://www.aca.org/pastpresentfuture/history.asp |archive-date=2 February 2014 |access-date=29 January 2014}}</ref>

== History ==
The ACA was founded under the name '''National Prison Association'''.  The driving creative force was [[Enoch Cobb Wines]], a minister and reformer who organized an 1870 congress in Cleveland, hoping to introduce the principles of the progressive New York Prison Association to a national stage.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Marilyn D. McShane|first1=Frank P. Williams|title=Encyclopedia of American Prisons|date=2 August 2004|publisher=Routledge|page=45|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBWOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1|access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref>  Former U.S. President [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] served as the organization's first president in 1883. Hayes "missed no opportunity to speak with well-informed sincerity about more effective and more humane ways of dealing with offenders".<ref name="American Conscience">{{cite book|last1=Keve|first1=Paul W.|title=Prisons and the American Conscience: A History of U.S. Federal Corrections|date=1995|publisher=[[SIU Press]]|page=24|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X5-ngmwEdeQC&pg=PA24|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref>  He remained president until his death ten years later.

[[Roeliff Brinkerhoff]], an Ohio publisher, political figure, and frequent Hayes ally, succeeded Hayes as the association president. For the next twenty years, Brinkerhoff used the NPA as a platform to pursue basic correctional reforms such as the separation of state and federal prison systems, and the idea of [[parole]], then a relatively new concept.  With Brinkerhoff's influence, the state of Ohio passed a state parole law in 1885, the nation's first.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Keve|first1=Paul W.|title=Prisons and the American Conscience: A History of U.S. Federal Corrections|date=1995|publisher=SIU Press|page=25|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X5-ngmwEdeQC&pg=PA24|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref>

The organization's name was officially changed in 1954 to more accurately reflect the organization's philosophy and scope.<ref>https://www.aca.org/ACA_Member/ACA/ACA_Member/AboutUs/AboutUs_Home.aspx?hkey=0c9cb058-e3d5-4bb0-ba7c-be29f9b34380</ref>

ACA began exploring the feasibility of accrediting its members in the 1960s, funded in part by a sizable 1969 grant from the [[Ford Foundation]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Marilyn D. McShane|first1=Frank P. Williams|title=Encyclopedia of American Prisons|date=2 August 2004|publisher=Routledge|page=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBWOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1|access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref>  In May 1974, the ACA created its "Commission on Accreditation for Corrections" in a meeting chaired by Walter Dunbar, a New York corrections figure known for his spokesman role at the [[Attica Prison riot]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Walter Dunbar, Probation Chief Who Gave Data on Attica, Dead|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/30/archives/walter-dunbar-probation-chief-who-gave-data-on-attica-dead.html|access-date=1 September 2016|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=30 September 1975}}</ref> (The ACA maintains an annual achievement award in his honor.)<ref>{{cite web|title=Walter Dunbar Accreditation Achievement Award|url=http://www.aca.org/ACA_Prod_IMIS/ACA_Member/Standards___Accreditation/Awards/Dunbar/ACA_Member/Standards_and_Accreditation/SAC_DunbarAward.aspx?hkey=09e01c6a-713b-47cb-a1d3-5686b12a7f5a|website=ACA|access-date=1 September 2016|archive-date=13 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913111925/http://www.aca.org/ACA_Prod_IMIS/ACA_Member/Standards___Accreditation/Awards/Dunbar/ACA_Member/Standards_and_Accreditation/SAC_DunbarAward.aspx?hkey=09e01c6a-713b-47cb-a1d3-5686b12a7f5a|url-status=dead}}</ref>  In 1979, the [[Vienna Correctional Center]], operated by the [[Illinois Department of Corrections]], became the first accredited adult correctional institution.<ref>{{cite news|title=Vienna - it's a jewel among prisons|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1979/07/17/page/11/article/vienna-its-a-jewel-among-prisons|access-date=1 September 2016|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=17 July 1979}}</ref>

In 2011, ACA began to branch out, and it audited the first detention facilities outside of the U.S. or Canada. In January 2012 four Mexican facilities became accredited by ACA, using their Core International Standards manual.<ref>{{cite web|title=Accreditation of the Mexico Federal Prison System: utilizing core international standards|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA287868394&v=2.1&u=siast&it=r&inPS=true&prodId=EAIM&userGroupName=siast&p=EAIM&digest=748cebd2e4b067b82de8740b4b5be7ee&rssr=rss}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2021, ACA received a $99,540 grant from [[Pfizer]] to promote uptake of their [[Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine|COVID-19 vaccine]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-27 |title=US Medical, Scientific, Patient and Civic Organization Funding Report: Q1-Q2 2021 |url=https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23787007/pfizer-2021-report.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509162309/https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23787007/pfizer-2021-report.pdf |archive-date=2023-05-09 |access-date=2023-05-13 |publisher=[[Pfizer]]}}</ref>

=== Conferences ===
ACA hosts bi-annual conferences in different cities around the U.S. The first conference is the "ACA Winter Conference" with the year included in the title before ACA. It holds its second annual conference, the Congress of Correction, during the summer. Notable speakers at ACA conferences have included [[Jelly Roll (singer)|Jelly Roll]] <ref>https://www.aca.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Publications_Carla/Docs/Corrections%20Today/2024%20Articles/CT_Winter%202024-2025_154th%20Congress%20of%20Correction%20Overview.pdf</ref> [[Misty Copeland]] <ref>https://www.aca.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Publications_Carla/Docs/Corrections%20Today/2024%20Articles/CT_Summer%202024_ACA%202024%20Winter%20Conference%20Overview.pdf</ref>General [[Richard Myers]], Congressman [[Danny K. Davis|Danny Davis]], presidential campaign director [[Donna Brazile]], presidential candidate and commentator [[Pat Buchanan]], covert CIA agent [[Valerie Plame]] and her husband, Ambassador [[Joseph C. Wilson|Joseph Wilson]], TV anchor [[Laurie Dhue]], political analyst [[Charlie Cook]], and Rear Admiral [[Boris Lushniak]].

== E.R. Cass Award ==

The American Correctional Association bestows the E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award every year for "service above self and above and beyond the call of duty." <ref>https://www.aca.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Publications/2023%20Philadelphia_Program%20Book_V6_Web.pdf </ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ E.R. Cass Award Winners<ref>https://www.aca.org/ACA_Member/ACA/ACA_Member/AboutUs/ER_Cass_Award_Winners.aspx?hkey=822b9b69-99b0-42ef-a557-6b451f12a12a</ref>
|-
! Year !! Awardees
|-
| 2025 || Annette Chambers-Smith
Bryan Collier
|-
| 2024 || Arthur F. “Art” Beeler
Douglas “Doug” Dretke

|-
| 2023 || Gary C. Mohr
Viola Riggin

Derrick D. Schofield

Michelle Staples-Horne, MD, MS, MPH

|-
| 2022 || [[Damon T. Hininger|Damon Hininger]]
Anadora “Andie” Moss

|-
| 2021 || Dr. Dean Aufderheide
Tony Wilkes

|-
| 2019 || Dave Donahue
Mary Livers, Ph.D.

|-
| 2018 || Patricia Caruso
Daron Hall
|-
| 2017 || James A. Gondles, Jr.
|-
| 2016 || David Haasenritter
Odie Washington

|-
| 2015 || Elizabeth F. Gondles, Ph.D.
Brad Livingston

|-
| 2014 || Harold W. Clarke
Denise Robinson

|-
| 2013 || Mark and Barbara Inch
Patrick W. Keohane

|-
| 2012 || Nathan “Burl” Cain
Gary D. Maynard

|-
| 2011 || Lannette Linthicum, M.D.
Richard Seiter

|-
| 2010 || Harly Lappin
Larry Norris

|-
| 2009 || Albert Murray
Thomas Stickrath

|-
| 2008 || Rev. Anthony J. Bruno
Arthur Leonardo

|-
| 2007 || Charles J. Kehoe
Maryann Saar

|-
| 2006 || Walter Ridley
S. Anne Walker

|-
| 2005 || Glenn S. Goord
Charlotte A. Nesbitt
|-
| 2004 || Betty Adams Green
Geno Natalucci-Persichetti

|-
| 2003 || Sister Margaret Graziano
Michael Quinlan

|-
| 2002 || Denis Shumate
Richard Stalder

|-
| 2001 || Joseph D. Lehman
Virginia Swanson

|-
| 2000 || Anabel P. Mitchell
Reginald A. Wilkinson

|-
| 1999 || Gwendolyn Chunn
Mary Q. Hawkes

George M. Phyfer

|-
| 1998 || Judy C. Anderson
Dennis S. Avery

Bobbie L. Huskey

|-
| 1997 || Kathleen M. Hawk
David M. Parrish

T.A. Ryan

|-
| 1996 || Lee Roy Black, Ed.D.
W. Hardy Rauch

Samuel F. Saxton

|-
| 1995 || Robert Brown Jr.
W. Raymond Nelson

Donald M. Page

|-
| 1994 || Thomas A. Coughlin III
Parker Evatt

Michael J. Mahoney

Victoria C. Myers

|-
| 1993 || The Honorable Helen G. Corrothers
Gail D. Hughes

Morris L. Thigpen

|-
| 1992 || Joseph R. Rowan
Harry K. Singletary Jr.

Edward F. Tripp

|-
| 1991 || Sidney J. Folse
Anthony P. Travisono

Diana N. Travisono

Donald R. Yeomans

|-
| 1990 || Donald G. Evans
Ronald G. Jackson

Ruth L. Rushen

|-
| 1989 || Su Cunningham
Gary Hill

Robert Watson

|-
| 1988 || David C. Evans
James D. Henderson

Linda D’Amario Rossi

|-
| 1987 || [[T. Don Hutto]]
Perry Johnson

|-
| 1986 || Albert Elias
J. Bryan Riley

Ernest D. Wright

|-
| 1985 || Bennett J. Cooper
Vernon G. Housewright

Joann B. Morton, Ph.D.

Carl Robinson

|-
| 1984 || Norman F. Chamberlain
Lane Murray, Ph.D.

C. Winston Tanksley

|-
| 1983 || John J. Moran
Amos E. Reed

Paul A. Skelton Jr.

|-
| 1982 || John W. Braithwaite
Marcella C. Rapp

Samuel Sublett Jr.

|-
| 1981 || [[Norman Carlson|Norman A. Carlson]]
Joseph S. Coughlin

William D. Leeke

Robert E. Rodli

|-
| 1980 || Donald D. Brewer
George G. Killinger, Ph.D.

Peter P. Lejins, Ph.D.

|-
| 1979 || Anthony S. Kuharich
Ellis C. MacDougall

Rev. Winfred C. Ollenburg

Ross V. Randolph

|-
| 1978 || John Burke
Henry J. Mascarello

Lt. Col. Harry W. Poole

|-
| 1977 || W. James Estelle Jr.
Thomas J. Mangogna

Martha E. Wheeler

|-
| 1976 || Allen F. Breed
Herman G. Moeller

Louie L. Wainwright

|-
| 1975 || Walter Dunbar
Albert G. Fraser

John A. Gavin

|-
| 1974 || Wayne K. Patterson
E. Preston Sharp, Ph.D.,
and Catherine Simons Sharp

Maurice H. Sigler

|-
| 1973 || Edward W. Grout
Parker L. Hancock

Russell G. Oswald

|-
| 1972 || George J. Beto, Ph.D.
Charles P. Chew

Fred T. Wilkinson

|-
| 1971 || Myrl E. Alexander
Sanger B. Powers

Joseph E. Ragen

|-
| 1970 || Arthur T. Prasse
Harry C. Tinsley

Roberts J. Wright

|-
| 1969 || William T. Coulter
James A. McLaughlin

Gilbert Rodli

|-
| 1968 || Reed Cozart
Lt. Col. Carl R. Dueill

Gen. John F. McMahon

|-
| 1967 || William H. Bannan
J. P. Shalloo, Ph.D.

W. Frank Smith Jr.

|-
| 1966 || Fred R. Dickson
Marion H. Vedder

|-
| 1965 || Garrett Heyns, Ph.D.
Austin H. MacCormick

Leon T. Stern

|-
| 1964 || Sanford Bates
James V. Bennett

Norman Fenton, Ph.D.

|-
| 1963 || Edna Mahan
Richard A. Mcgee

G. Howland Shaw

|}

== Executives ==
* Executive director:  Robert Green <ref>https://www.aca.org/ACA_Member/ACA/ACA_Member/AboutUs/Executive_Office_Home.aspx?hkey=57c55c2c-bb11-4fa2-9c9e-f2a591124954</ref>
* Deputy executive director:  Jeffery Washington<ref>https://www.aca.org/ACA_Member/ACA/ACA_Member/AboutUs/Executive_Office_Home.aspx?hkey=57c55c2c-bb11-4fa2-9c9e-f2a591124954</ref> 
* President:  [[Ricky D. Dixon|Ricky Dixon]], CBHC/CO/Adult
*President-elect: Tyrone Oliver
* Vice president:  Bryan Collier
* Treasurer:  Anthony O. Vann
* Board of governors representatives to the executive committee: Marina Cadreche and Latera Davis<ref>https://www.aca.org/ACA_Member/ACA/ACA_Member/AboutUs/Executive_Committee.aspx?hkey=4c649acc-56f4-41e9-a04f-47585e7f8064</ref>

== Past presidents ==
* '''[[Joseph F. Scott (New York official)|Joseph F. Scott]]''' (1900–?) – After serving as the warden of the Elmira state prison, Scott became the superintendent of prisons of the state of New York. In 1900, Scott was elected president of the ACA., predecessor National Prison Association.<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/12/15/97051497.pdf Colonel Joseph F. Scott dead], ''The New York Times'', December 15, 1918. Retrieved 14 September 2015.</ref>
* '''Terrell Don Hutto''' (1984–2000) – While Hutto was president, the ACA, began to support the private prison system.<ref name="Woodward_2017">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Terrell Don Hutto (1935–) |url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=12346 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |access-date=October 15, 2018 |date=August 9, 2017 |first=Colin Edward |last=Woodward}}</ref><ref name="Harmon_1989">{{cite journal |author=Harmon L. Wray Jr. |url=http://southernchanges.digitalscholarship.emory.edu/sc08-3_1204/sc08-3_011/ |title=Cells for Sale |journal=Southern Changes: The Journal of the Southern Regional Council |volume=8 |number=3 |date=1989 |access-date=February 13, 2017 |quote="Another West Point alum and major CCA investor is T. Don Hutto, the corporation's executive vice-president. Hutto, an ex-prison guard who became commissioner of corrections in Virginia and Arkansas, has since 1984 been president of the American Correctional Association, which oversees prison accreditation standards. Unlike other corrections-related professional associations[...]the ACA under Hutto's tenure has supported prison privatization." |archive-date=February 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214182512/http://southernchanges.digitalscholarship.emory.edu/sc08-3_1204/sc08-3_011/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* '''Harold W. Clarke''' (2008–2010) – Clarke directed corrections in Nebraska, Washington State, Massachusetts, and was the director of corrections for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2010 to 2023.<ref>{{cite web|title=2014 E.R. Cass Awards|url=http://www.aca.org/ACA_Prod_IMIS/ACA_Member/About_Us/ACA_Awards/2014_ER_Cass_Awards/ACA_Member/AboutUs/2014ER_Cass.aspx?hkey=65d1f121-7381-4224-9fe4-6d944fa810c8|publisher=American Correctional Association|access-date=26 January 2015|archive-date=19 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219040314/http://www.aca.org/ACA_Prod_IMIS/ACA_Member/About_Us/ACA_Awards/2014_ER_Cass_Awards/ACA_Member/AboutUs/2014ER_Cass.aspx?hkey=65d1f121-7381-4224-9fe4-6d944fa810c8|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[https://vadoc.virginia.gov/about/hclarke.shtm About Harold W. Clarke] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103725/https://vadoc.virginia.gov/about/hclarke.shtm |date=2016-03-04 }}. Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved 14 September 2015.</ref><ref>https://www.vadoc.virginia.gov/news-press-releases/2023/vadoc-director-harold-w-clarke-to-retire-following-13-years-in-commonwealth/</ref>
* '''Daron Hall''' (2011–2013) – The Sheriff of Davidson County, Tennessee, Hall previously managed a Brisbane, Australia, prison for the [[Corrections Corporation of America]]<ref>[http://www.alternet.org/story/84388/meet_gus_puryear%3A_bush's_latest_villainous_nominee_for_a_lifetime_judgeship "Meet Gus Puryear, Bush's latest villainous nominee for a lifetime judgeship"], [[Alternet]], Silja Talvi, May 4, 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2015.</ref>
* '''[[Christopher B. Epps]]''' (2013–2014) – Known for improvements of the Mississippi State Penitentiary, reductions in the use of solitary confinement, and successful early release of more non-violent offenders under parole, Epps served as Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections for more than a decade and under three governors. In November 2014 he was indicted for eight federal charges of money laundering and taking $1.47 million in bribes and kickbacks from prison contractors and vendors; he resigned as A.C.A. president and Mississippi Commissioner of Corrections, pleaded guilty, and turned state's evidence. On May 25, 2017, Judge [[Henry Travillion Wingate]] gave him a federal prison sentence of 235 months (19.6 years). Wingate, who was appointed to the federal bench in 1985 said, "This is the largest graft operation that certainly I have seen, and I have seen a lot."<ref>[https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/mississippi/articles/2017-05-24/mississippi-ex-prison-chief-faces-sentencing-for-corruption Former Mississippi Prison Chief Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years], ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'', Jeff Amy (AP), May 24, 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Gates, Jimmie E.|url=http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2017/05/24/chris-epps-sentencing/341916001/|title=Chris Epps sentenced to almost 20 years|newspaper=[[The Clarion-Ledger]]|date=2017-05-24|access-date=2017-12-17}}</ref> By July 2017 Epps was serving his sentence at the  [[Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville]] in [[Seagoville, Texas]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Pickens, Erin|url=http://www.wapt.com/article/former-mdoc-chief-serving-time-in-texas-prison/10254275|title=Former MDOC chief serving time in Texas prison|publisher=[[WAPT]]|date=2017-07-03|access-date=2017-12-26}}</ref>
* '''Mary L. Livers''' (2014–2015) Former Deputy Secretary (agency head) of the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice. Previously Deputy Secretary for Operations of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
*'''Dr. Lannette C. Linthicum''' (2017-2019) Director Texas Department of Criminal Justice Health Services Division <ref>https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/divisions/hsd/index.html</ref>
* '''Gary C. Mohr'''  (2019-2021) Director Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, 2010-2018 <ref>https://cglcompanies.com/team_member/gary-mohr/</ref>
*'''Tony C. Parker'''  (2021-2023) Commissioner Tennessee Department of Corrections 2016-2021 <ref>https://www.tn.gov/correction/news/2021/7/27/commissioner-parker-set-to-retire-after-38-years-of-service.html</ref>
* '''Denise M. Robinson''' (2023-2025)  President and CEO of Alvis, Inc. 2005-Present <ref>https://www.columbusceo.com/story/business/awards/2024/02/13/columbus-ceo-ceo-of-the-year-2023-denise-robinson-grows-alvis-inc-into-change-agent/72542140007/</ref>

== Controversies ==

=== Value of accreditation ===
In 1982, a 72-year-old senior judge of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia]], Judge [[David L. Bazelon]], resigned from the governing panel of the ACA with a 21-page statement of criticism.  Bazelon had three years remaining on his five-year term. He described its lack of transparency and accountability, its apparent willingness to bend to political influence, and its dual role as a trade group and accreditor. Bazelon pointed out the apparent conflict of interest, writing, "How can the commission in good conscience represent itself as 'independent' and 'unbiased' while being financially dependent on the objects of its scrutiny?"<ref name=Bazelon/>

Bazelon also pointed out that ACA inspection teams at the [[Menard Correctional Center]] in Illinois, for example, did not even contact U.S. District Court Judge [[James L. Foreman]], who had found the medical care so poor as to violate the constitution, and did not contact Dr. Lambert King, the special master Judge Foreman had appointed in 1980 to oversee the mandated improvements before they filed their approving reports.<ref name=Bazelon>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/08/us/ judge-quits-panel-on-prison-ratings.html Judge quits panel on prison ratings], ''The New York Times'', Wendell Rawls, Jr., August 8, 1982. Retrieved 15 April 2016.</ref>

Later critics have named several other institutions that retained their ACA accreditations while outside parties found grave violence and/or court-ordered reforms.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Friedmann|first1=Alex|title=How the Courts View ACA Accreditation|url=https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2014/oct/10/how-courts-view-aca-accreditation/|access-date=31 August 2016|publisher=Prison Legal News|date=10 October 2014}}</ref>  These include:

* the private [[Otter Creek Correctional Center]] owned by [[CoreCivic]] in [[Floyd County, Kentucky]], accredited in 2009 despite multiple charges of sexual abuse that caused the state of Hawaii to remove its inmates and the prison to be closed
* the [[Idaho State Correctional Center]], in [[Kuna, Idaho|Kuna]], operated by CoreCivic, which retained its good grades from ACA throughout a long proven pattern of violence in the prison, understaffing, operator contract fraud, and multiple federal investigations
* the private [[Walnut Grove Correctional Facility]] in Mississippi, operated by [[Cornell Corrections]] which corporation was purchased in 2010 by [[GEO Group]], accredited in 2012 when it was a juvenile facility, the same year U.S. District Court Judge [[Carlton W. Reeves]] described it as "a cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts"<ref>{{cite news|last1=John|first1=Burnett|title=Miss. Prison Operator Out; Facility Called A 'Cesspool'|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/04/24/151276620/firm-leaves-miss-after-its-prison-is-called-cesspool|access-date=31 August 2016|publisher=National Public Radio|date=24 April 2012}}</ref>

=== Executives ===
==== Christopher B. Epps ====
On November 5, 2014, [[Christopher B. Epps]] resigned from his position as ACA president, shortly before the announcement of his indictments on dozens of corruption charges.  Epps had been identified by a federal investigation conducted by the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi]] called [[Operation Mississippi Hustle]]. He'd taken $1.47{{nbsp}}million in kickbacks, from 16 corporations, for his role in awarding nearly $1{{nbsp}}billion worth of private prison contracts.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160613182843/http://djournal.com/news/epps-case-still-unclear-else-implicated/ In Epps case, still unclear who else is implicated], ''[[Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal]]'', Jeff Amy (AP), June 13, 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.</ref><ref>[http://m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2016/apr/11/ex-prison-chiefs-co-defendant-wants-withdraw-guilt/ Ex-prison chief's co-defendant wants to withdraw guilty plea] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507111228/http://m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2016/apr/11/ex-prison-chiefs-co-defendant-wants-withdraw-guilt/ |date=2016-05-07 }}, ''[[Jackson Free Press]]'', Jeff Amy (AP), April 11, 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.</ref><ref name="The Prison Reform Blues">{{cite web|title=The Prison Reform Blues|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/albertsamaha/the-rise-and-fall-of-mississippis-top-prison-reformer#.ch0QR33D7|website=Buzzfeed News|access-date=26 January 2015}}</ref> Epps also resigned from his full-time job as Corrections Commissioner for the state of Mississippi on the same day.<ref name="The Prison Reform Blues"/><ref>Williams, Timothy (November 6, 2014). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/07/us/christopher-epps-former-chief-of-prisons-in-mississippi-is-arraigned.html Christopher Epps, former chief of prisons in Mississippi, is arraigned]". ''The New York Times'' Retrieved September 13, 2015.</ref>

Epps pleaded guilty to money laundering and filing false tax returns. Many vendors were indicted, some pleaded guilty, one committed suicide, and eleven more suspects faced criminal bribery charges. The Assistant U.S. Attorney estimated the corruption's net benefit to prison contractors exceeded $65 million.<ref>Amy, Jeff (June 30, 2016). "[http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2016/06/prosecutor_11_more_to_be_charg.html Prosecutor: 11 more to be charged in Mississippi prison bribery inquiry]". June 30, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.</ref> Epps personally received at least the bribes for steering what Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca had first estimated at $800{{nbsp}}million in contracts between 2006 and 2014.<ref>Gates, Jimme E. (August 24, 2016). "[http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2016/08/24/former-insurance-broker-mdoc-indicted-epps-case/89261634/ Former insurance broker for MDOC indicted in Epps case]". ''[[The Clarion-Ledger]]''. Retrieved August 27, 2016.</ref> Presiding Federal judge, [[Henry Travillion Wingate]] heard the cases of the others who were charged with bribing Epps.

Irb Benjamin was charged with bribery of Epps in connection with the contractual drug and alcohol treatment his company provided to MDOC prisons. Benjamin's indictment was announced on August 22, 2015. He was paid at least $862,000 to acquire and maintain ACA accreditation for jails in numerous counties. Passing ACA standards was required if they were to be awarded contracts to hold state prisoners.<ref>Amy, Jeff (August 22, 2016). "[http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2015/aug/22/1-pleading-guilty-mississippi-prison-bribery-case/ 1 Pleading guilty in prison bribery case]". ''Associated Press.'' [[Jackson Free Press]]. Retrieved 19 September 2016.</ref>

Benjamin had represented Alcorn County as a Democrat in the state House from 1976 to 1980 and state Senate from 1984 to 1992, later working for the Republican Lieutenant Governor. Alcorn County paid Benjamin, the president and lobbyist for Mississippi Correctional Management (MCM), $114,000 a year, although he lived more than 200 miles away. The Alcorn Board of Supervisors attorney said the supervisors had not been required to seek bids before giving Benjamin the contract as warden because it was a contract for services, which are exempt from bid laws.

Benjamin had received $5,000 a month to handle accreditation by the American Correctional Association for Alcorn's Regional Correctional Facility, and he had received another $4,500 a month as the jail's warden. Benjamin had formed MCM in 1996, when the state Department of Corrections and counties started hiring private contractors to operate prisons and smaller regional jails. It operated the Grenada County jail for years. Benjamin said the company also has jail accreditation contracts worth $4,000 or $5,000 a month with other counties including Chickasaw, Hancock, Holmes, Marion, Pearl River, Washington, and Yazoo. Prior to that he worked as a $3,000-a-month jail consultant for DeSoto County.

On June 8, 2008, DeSoto County Board of Supervisors supervisors approved the contract saying, "Mr. Benjamin was recommended by Commissioner Epps at the state level." On November 25, 2014, Benjamin said that he was not aware of the Epps recommendation.<ref>[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/25/county-pays-ex-lawmaker-thousands-for-jail-work/County pays ex-lawmaker thousands for jail work], ''[[Washington Times]]'', Emily Wagster Pettus (AP), November 25, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2017.</ref><ref name=Irb>[http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2017/03/03/ex-lawmaker-irb-benjamin-gets-years-bribery-scandal/98715362/ Ex-lawmaker Irb Benjamin gets six years in bribery scandal], ''[[The Clarion-Ledger]]'', Jeff Amy (AP), March 3, 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.</ref>

Benjamin pleaded guilty to federal charges on October 18, 2016.<ref>Brumfield, Patsy R. (October 3, 2016). "[https://mississippitoday.org/2016/10/03/former-state-senator-to-plead-guilty-in-epps-bribery-case/ Former state senator to plead guilty in Epps bribery case]". ''[[Mississippi Today]]''. Retrieved November 3, 2016.</ref> He faced 10 years in prison, plus a fine of up to $250,000.<ref>Nave, R.L. (October 18, 2016). "[https://mississippitoday.org/2016/10/18/irb-benjamin-pleads-guilty-in-epps-prison-bribery-case/ Irb Benjamin pleads guilty in Epps bribery case]". ''[[Mississippi Today]]''. Retrieved November 3, 2016.</ref> Federal presiding Judge Wingate sentenced Benjmain to 70 months in prison, fined Benjamin $100,000, and ordered him to forfeit $260,782.

Benjamin, who said he was "pressured", estimated he had paid Epps between $180,000 and $225,000 in cash bribes to secure support for the regional jails. His plea covered bribes that had been paid for drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs that his company ran. LaMarca told Wingate, "it's just a matter of time" until others whom Benjamin informed upon are indicted.<ref name=Irb />

On May 25, 2017, Epps received a federal prison sentence of almost 20 years.<ref>{{cite web|author=Gates, Jimmie E.|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/ex-prison-chief-gets-nearly-20-year-sentence/ar-BBBvcRW|title=Ex-prison chief gets nearly 20-year sentence|publisher=[[USA Today]] at [[MSN]]|date=2017-05-25|access-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525215256/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/ex-prison-chief-gets-nearly-20-year-sentence/ar-BBBvcRW|archive-date=2017-05-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> Judge Wingate, who had been appointed to the federal bench in 1985, said, "This is the largest graft operation that certainly I have seen, and I have seen a lot."<ref>Amy, Jeff (May 24, 2017). "[https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/mississippi/articles/2017-05-24/mississippi-ex-prison-chief-faces-sentencing-for-corruption Former Mississippi Prison Chief Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years]". Associated Press. ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]''. Retrieved September 22, 2020.</ref> Wingate cited the burglary of his former Flowood home by Epps as the reason why he gave a sentence that was much longer than the 13-year sentence recommended by prosecutors.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gates |first=Jimmie E.|url=http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2017/05/24/chris-epps-sentencing/341916001/|title=Chris Epps sentenced to almost 20 years|newspaper=[[The Clarion-Ledger]]|date=May 24, 2017 |access-date=September 20, 2020 }}</ref>

Epps is being held at the [[Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville]] in Texas, near Dallas. He is due to be released on November 25, 2033.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pickens|first=Erin|url=http://www.wapt.com/article/former-mdoc-chief-serving-time-in-texas-prison/10254275|title=Former MDOC chief serving time in Texas prison|publisher=[[WAPT]]|date= July 3, 2017 |access-date=September 22, 2020 }}</ref>

====James A. Gondles Jr.====
James A. Gondles Jr. became the executive director of ACA in 1990, after serving as the sheriff of [[Arlington County, Virginia]]. Court records indicate a long history of suits and allegations of mistreating his staff. Gondles was accused of [[sexual harassment]], "acts of abuse of power", fraternizing and having sex with female deputies, bullying top aides, and targeting Arlington County employees who supported his opponent during his 1987 campaign for sheriff.<ref>{{cite web|title=PIERSON v. GONDLES|url=http://www.leagle.com/decision/19881101693FSupp408_11062 |access-date=29 January 2014}}</ref> In 1988, while he was serving as Sheriff of Arlington County, the Citizens for Law and Constitution alleged that Gondles had performed "acts of abuse and power" as sheriff, such as bullying aides and bragging about having sex with female deputies. Also in 1988 Gondles settled a sexual harassment suit, brought by a female deputy, with a $25,000 payment and a public apology.<ref>Dana Priest{{cite news|title=Harassment suit settled by Gondles |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1988/03/02/harassment-suit-settled-by-gondles/83e242b4-740f-4a79-8197-83d50ae69d31/|newspaper=Washington Post|date=March 2, 1988|access-date=September 22, 2020 }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|United States}}
* [[Incarceration in the United States]]
{{Clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.aca.org/ American Correctional Association]

{{Incarceration in the United States}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Accreditation]]
[[Category:Jails in the United States]]
[[Category:Prisons in the United States]]
[[Category:Legal organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Prison officer organisations]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1870]]
[[Category:1870 establishments in the United States]]