News: Press Releases

Red Onion State Prison Receives ACA Accreditation
- First DOC Super-Max Facility Accredited in State -

RICHMOND – Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Ron Angelone announced today that Red Onion State Prison in Pound, Virginia, has been awarded accreditation from the American Correctional Association (ACA). Red Onion is the first super-max facility in the Commonwealth to be recognized by ACA for compliance with national standards.

"Our vision is to be a model correctional agency and proven innovative leader in a manner consistent with sound correctional principles,” said Director Angelone. “These results confirm Virginia’s national leadership role in corrections and Red Onion’s staff are to be commended for their efforts. DOC will continue its efforts to accredit facilities state-wide.”

Red Onion was in 100% compliance with 40 applicable mandatory standards and 98.6% compliant with 409 applicable non-mandatory standards. The ACA audit team evaluated the conditions of confinement and found the overall quality of life to be excellent. Quality of life is a major consideration and relates to sanitation, education, inmate programs, and staff and inmate communication within the facility.

The accreditation program is a professional peer review process based on national standards that have evolved since the founding of the ACA in 1870. These standards were developed by national leaders in the field of corrections and include experts in law, architecture, health care, and other groups interested in sound correctional management.

Red Onion State Prison, opened in August 1998, was the first of two new super-max facilities built in Southwest Virginia. Red Onion joins a list of ACA accredited facilities in Virginia that includes Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, Sussex I State Prison and Southampton Men’s Detention Center. Statewide Adult Probation and Parole Services have also been accredited by ACA.