News: Press Releases

DOC Community Corrections to Receive ACA Accreditation

RICHMOND – Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Ron Angelone announced that the Department’s Adult Probation and Parole Services has been recommended for accreditation by the American Correctional Association (ACA) for compliance with national standards. In recognition of this achievement, Governor Gilmore has declared the first week in October as Probation and Parole Officer’s Week in the Commonwealth in recognition of 57 years of public service.
"Our vision is to be a model correctional agency and proven innovative leader in a manner consistent with sound correctional principles," said Director Angelone. "I believe these results confirm Virginia’s national leadership role in adult probation and parole."

The ACA audit team reported that Adult Probation and Parole Services were in compliance with 200 (98%) of 204 applicable standards. The preliminary report and recommendations will be forwarded to the ACA Commission on Accreditation for final review and approval.

Audit preparation yielded a systematic review and enhancement of administrative and supervision policies and procedures and created the opportunity for staff to assess program needs and suggest improvements. It also identified staff and offender safety issues, reduced the potential for liability claims, and supported the appropriate use of public resources.

The Adult Probation and Parole Services’ 42 district offices and 3 central office units are responsible for the community supervision of more than 37,000 offenders. Probation and Parole Officers conducted more than 80,000 pre-sentence reports, transfers and violation investigations for fiscal year 1999.

As the oldest association developed specifically for practitioners in the correctional profession, ACA has championed the cause of corrections and correctional effectiveness for more than 125 years.