The Alachua County Jail department received the highest level of accreditation possible for a state criminal agency this week — the Excelsior Recognition.
The department was initially accredited in 1999, and this week’s achievement marks the first time in 15 years the Alachua County Department of the Jail has received this level of recognition from the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission Inc.
The sheriff’s office consists of more than 870 employees who serve more than 200,000 citizens.
In order for a state criminal agency to be accredited, it must meet specific requirements and standards developed by the commission.
Accreditation is used to maintain the highest standards of professionalism, according to a release. The accreditation program gives an agency the opportunity to compare its facility’s operations to statewide standards and then correct deficiencies.
The purpose of the accreditation commission is to improve the overall quality of correctional programs and services, the release said.
According to the release, all departments within an agency are examined using the commission’s standards: admission, classification, housing, sanitation, food service, personnel issues, fiscal activities, security, training and medical.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 10/15/2014]
