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Juvenile court detention center earns re-accreditation
Published: August 27, 2018
AKRON––Summit County Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio has announced that the Juvenile Court’s Detention Center received re-accreditation from the American Correctional Association (ACA) after undergoing a thorough examination by ACA auditors last March.
Representatives from the court were notified of the re-accreditation after a final overview of audit findings at the ACA Summer Conference in Minneapolis.
The ACA requires that applicants comply with a specific set of 420 best practices and promising practices standards to achieve re-accreditation, the same examination the detention center received when it first achieved accreditation in 2015.
There were 28 mandatory items the court had to pass otherwise it would have automatically failed the audit, which lasted three days to cover the checklist of requirements.
The court passed all the mandatory items and achieved an overall rating of 99.7 percent, near perfection.
The lone item not approved by the ACA was that there were not bathroom facilities within each individual living quarters on the housing unit, however, facility staff are on the units at all times the youth are confined to allow the youth access to the facilities as they need them.
In the report, ACA auditors often used the term “impressive” to describe operations and programming employed daily in the detention center.
The auditors added that there were methods implemented in the detention center that were unique in both concept and effectiveness, pointing to, for instance, the therapy room where youth can go to calm themselves. They receive counsel by social workers and sensory therapy.
The commission, during the panel hearing, congratulated the court on its progressive approach and leadership.
The ACA reviewed the court’s compliance in the areas of safety, security, physical plants, food service, staff development and training and other detention facility operations. It also reviewed the court’s policies and procedures for the detention center.
Receiving the award of re-accreditation from the ACA is an indication the detention center meets the standard of excellence set by the leading corrections organization in the nation.
“The re-accreditation is a testament to the good work done by our staff in the detention center,” said Judge Teodosio. “It is validation that innovative approach we are taking in the detention center has a viable benefit not only to the youth in the detention center, but to the Summit County community.”