PRINTER'S NO. 121
No. 13 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, COSTA, LEMMOND, EARLL, O'PAKE, ORIE,
STACK, M. WHITE, BOSCOLA, THOMPSON, CONTI, TARTAGLIONE,
ARMSTRONG, TOMLINSON, FERLO, D. WHITE, ROBBINS, KITCHEN AND
WONDERLING, FEBRUARY 1, 2005
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, FEBRUARY 1, 2005
A RESOLUTION
1 Congratulating the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole
2 for receiving reaccreditation from the American Correctional
3 Association with a 100% compliance rate.
4 WHEREAS, The American Correctional Association (ACA)
5 standards are the national benchmark for the effective and
6 professional operation of correctional and parole systems
7 throughout the United States; and
8 WHEREAS, The ACA standards address service, programs and
9 operations essential to good correctional management, including
10 administrative and fiscal controls, staff training and
11 development, physical plant, safety and emergency procedures,
12 sanitation, food service and rules and discipline; and
13 WHEREAS, The ACA publishes 21 different manuals of standards,
14 each applying to a specific kind of correctional facility or
15 program; and
16 WHEREAS, The ACA standards are used by lawyers, judges,
17 government administrators, academia and advocacy groups as a
1 tool to ensure the basic constitutional rights of offenders
2 while serving to protect staff and the public at large; and
3 WHEREAS, Accreditation is achieved through a series of
4 reviews, evaluations, audits and hearings; and
5 WHEREAS, The accreditation process usually takes up to 18
6 months, and when awarded, accreditation lasts for three years;
7 and
8 WHEREAS, Accreditation provides the benefits of increased
9 professionalism, a defense against litigation, standardization
10 of services and accountability through regular, thorough audits;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole has
13 been accredited by the ACA since 1982; and
14 WHEREAS, In the most recent reaccreditation of the
15 Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, the ACA specifically
16 recognized three areas of excellence: (1) the positive morale
17 and attitude of the parole officers and support staff; (2) the
18 active Fatherhood Initiative component of the board's reentry
19 programs; and (3) the quality of the board's facilities in
20 relation to the safety of both staff and parolees; and
21 WHEREAS, To be awarded accreditation, applicants must comply
22 with 100% of the applicable mandatory standards and at least 90%
23 of the applicable nonmandatory standards; and
24 WHEREAS, During its most recent evaluation, for the first
25 time the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole received a
26 100% compliance rate on both the mandatory and nonmandatory
27 standards, a rare occurrence among State-level agencies;
28 therefore be it
29 RESOLVED, That the Senate congratulate the Pennsylvania Board
30 of Probation and Parole, its members and staff for receiving
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1 reaccreditation from the ACA with a 100% compliance rate; and be
2 it further
3 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
4 the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole.
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