BOP Cuts Ties With American Correctional Association
On March 31, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) let its contract expire with the American Correctional Association (ACA), which provided accreditations for all BOP prisons, training centers and its Central Office Headquarters.
BOP opted not to renew the $2.75 million annual contract after a scathing report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of its parent agency, the federal Department of Justice; in its November 2023 assessment, OIG slammed ACA for sham investigations that merely rubber-stamped BOP’s own evaluations, as PLN reported. [See: PLN, July 2024, p.18.]
Audits and oversight are crucial to identifying and rectifying facility needs. By not providing accurate evaluations and accreditation of the country’s 122 facilities, housing approximately 160,000 federal prisoners, ACA did nothing to help BOP grapple with desperately needed repairs that are estimated at an astonishing $2 billion.
One month before the contract expired, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) urged BOP to cut ties with ACA, citing concerns over its independence and impartiality. Nearly half of ACA revenues come from accreditation-related fees, with another 25% provided by private prison companies.
BOP then announced it would explore alternative ways to improve correctional standards for the well-being of those incarcerated as well as staff. But until a replacement accreditation agency is identified, they will have to rely on BOP to self-police, something shortcomings uncovered by OIG provide little confidence the agency can do.
Source: Forbes
More from this issue:
- Turn Key Health Clinics: Another Private Jail Medical Provider Leaving a Trail of Death and Misery, by David Reutter
- Bruce Johnson 1950–2024, by Paul Wright
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Washington Prison Trade Training Program Boosts Employment Income Upon Release
- Fifth Circuit Calls Denial of Texas Prisoner’s In Forma Pauperis Request “Arbitrary or Erroneous”
- Florida Prisoner Whose Case Ended LWOP for Juveniles Released
- Missouri DOC Chief Held in Contempt of Court for Keeping Exonerated Prisoner Locked Up
- Texas Appeals Court Tosses Former Prisoner’s Illegal Voting Conviction
- Environmental Impact Statement Released for Controversial Proposed BOP Lockup in Kentucky
- Former Ohio Deputy Prison Warden Gets Probation for Overtime Fraud
- TDCJ Denied Summary Judgment In Suit by Prisoner Who Missed Grievance Deadline Because Guard’s Assault Left Him In a Coma
- DOJ Sues Utah DOC, Alleging Discrimination Against Transgender Prisoner
- First Circuit Affirms Qualified Immunity for Massachusetts Officials Who Held Prisoner in Solitary for Two Years Without Hearing, by Douglas Ankney
- German High Court Finds Low Prisoner Wages Unconstitutional
- Georgia Prison Education Program Shuttered
- “We Killed Him”: Alabama Jailers Cut Plea Deals After Detainee Freezes to Death
- Former Warden Added to Suit Over Brutal Killing of Disabled Virginia Prisoner, by Douglas Ankney
- New York City Mayor Blocks Solitary Confinement Ban After Council Overrides His Veto
- Former Detainee Sues “Disgusting” Atlanta Jail Where He Was Stabbed 13 Times
- Solitary Confinement Prompts Lawsuit in Massachusetts, Hunger Strike in Maine
- NaphCare Settles One Suit At Oregon Jail, Loses Motion to Dismiss Second
- Remedying Wrongs, by Kenneth Alyass
- Ohio Guard Drives Over Prisoner
- Competency Evaluation Ordered for Condemned Utah Prisoner, by David Reutter
- Former Prisoners Can Become President, But Other Job Options Are Limited
- Baton Rouge Cops Indicted for Violent In-Custody Strip-Search
- D.C. Jail Watchdog Uncovers Alarming Solitary Confinement Practices
- Multiple Abuse Allegations Against Texas Prison Guard Deemed “Unsubstantiated” by TDCJ
- Missouri Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim Proceeds Against Guards After Court Excuses Missed Deadlines Under “Unavailable” Grievance Procedure, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania Prisoner Smuggles Cellphones, Federal Prosecutor Breaches Plea Bargain
- $1.1 Million Settlement for Colorado Prisoner Stabbed by Gang Members For Testifying About Prison Murder, by David Reutter
- Second Circuit: New York Prisoner’s Prior Cases Not PLRA Strikes, by David Reutter
- BOP Cuts Ties With American Correctional Association
- Washington Parole Board Failed to Meaningfully Apply Presumption of Release for Prisoner Sentenced to LWOP as Juvenile
- Telecom Firms Shift Revenue Streams in Response to Prison Phone Reforms
- $700,000 Settlement in BOP Prisoner’s Death After Court Refuses to Extend Bivens, by David Reutter
- Watchdog Faults BOP for Averaging 43 Prisoner Deaths a Year—More Than 23 by Suicide, by David Reutter
- Mom of Murdered California Prisoner Defeats Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit by Guard Who Posted Pics of Corpse Online, by David Reutter
- Trial Rescheduled for Ohio Prisoner Accused of Murdering Fellow Prisoner
- Tenth Circuit Affirms Former Oklahoma Jail Captain’s 46-Month Sentence For Brutalizing Detainees, by David Reutter
- Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Grants Credit to Prisoner’s LWOP Sentence, by Douglas Ankney
- Georgia Prison Warden Fired, Seven Guards Arrested in Prisoner’s Massive Drug Operation
- Montana Prison Warden Fired for Creating Hostile Workplace
- Washington Court of Appeals: PLRA Dismissal of Prisoner’s Federal Suit Is Not Res Judicata Barring State Tort Claims
- Texas Prisoner’s Lawsuit Seeks Relief from Heat in Un-Air-Conditioned Prisons, by David Reutter
- Oklahoma Lawmakers Sue for Pardon and Parole Board Texts After Condemned Prisoner Denied Clemency
- Georgia Jail Detainee Released After 10-Year Wait for Trial
- Chicago Jailers Publicly Call Detainee Death a Medical Emergency, Privately Admit Guard Brutality
- Regional Jail in Kentucky Settles DOJ Complaint, Agrees to Provide Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder, by Douglas Ankney
- DOJ Declares Conditions at Three More Mississippi Prisons Unconstitutional, by David Reutter
- Second Former BOP Guard Sentenced in Smuggling Scheme at Brooklyn Lockup
- Missouri Sheriff Removed from Office for Using Detainee Labor on His Own Properties, by David Reutter
- California Supreme Court Refuses Challenge to LWOP Sentence Imposed for Crime Committed After Age 18
- CoreCivic’s Successful Campaign for Mass Incarceration Continues in Tennessee
- Nevada Supreme Court Holds That Violating Jail Phone Policy Does Not Waive Attorney-Client Privilege, by Douglas Ankney
- Hometown Prison Examines Its Texas Neighbors
- Former D.C. Guard Gets 42-Month Sentence for Assaulting Handcuffed Prisoner, by Douglas Ankney
- $60,000 Settlement for Kansas Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim, $578,000 for His Attorneys, by David Reutter
- California Prisoner Wins Challenge to Overbroad CDCR Records Request Made Prior to Resentencing
- Virginia Governor’s Veto Exposes Prisoners Who Took Plea Bargains to Civil Rights Violations, by Matthew Clarke
- Aryan Warriors Leader Among Three Killed in Nevada Prison Riot
- $3.4 Million Settlement for Nevada Prisoner After ‘Wait and See’ Medical Care Became ‘Deny and Delay’, by David Reutter
- $2,000 Statutory Award Boosts Ohio Prisoner’s Total Over $9,000 for Denied Public Records, by David Reutter
- Montana Supreme Court Requires Sentence Credit for Time Served in Tribal Jail
- News in Brief
- One of Eight Prisoners Now Released is a Woman, by David Reutter
More from these topics:
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- News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Private Prisons, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Male Reproductive, Malpractice, Escapes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
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- New York Lowers Minimum Age for Prison Guards, June 1, 2025. Guards/Staff, Guard Unions, Staff Training.
- ACLU Sues BOP Over Failure to Implement First Step Act Release Credits, May 1, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, First Step Act, Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
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- New York Lifts Hiring Ban on Fired Striking Prison Guards, Announces Early Prisoner Releases, May 1, 2025. Work Strikes, Staffing, Parole, Guard Unions, Bail/Pretrial Release, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
- West Virginia Prison Chief Tapped to Helm BOP, May 1, 2025. Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Leader, Manager, Organizer.
- BOP Jettisons Transgender Offender Manual, May 1, 2025. Injunctions, Banned Book Lists, Discrimination (Transgender), Bureau of Prisons (BOP).