American Correctional Association
Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2015
Irb Benjamin accreditation-related bribery case
Irb Benjamin was charged and later pleaded guilty in a federal case involving payments and alleged bribery connected with correctional contracts and efforts to secure accreditation for regional jails. The case formed part of the wider Mississippi corruption investigation.
2014
Christopher B. Epps corruption case
ACA president Christopher B. Epps resigned after being implicated in a federal investigation into alleged kickbacks related to Mississippi correctional contracts. He pleaded guilty to money laundering and filing false tax returns and was sentenced to federal prison in 2017. The case involved Epps personally and raised concerns about relationships among corrections officials, contractors, and professional institutions.
2012
Accreditation controversy involving Walnut Grove Correctional Facility
Walnut Grove Correctional Facility received accreditation while facing serious criticism and judicial findings concerning conditions at the Mississippi facility, prompting broader questions about the limits of accreditation.
2009
Accreditation controversy involving Otter Creek Correctional Center
Critics cited Otter Creek Correctional Center's ACA accreditation despite allegations of sexual abuse and other problems that contributed to Hawaii removing incarcerated people from the facility and its eventual closure.
1982
Criticism of accreditation independence
Federal appellate judge David L. Bazelon resigned from an ACA governing panel and issued an extensive criticism of the association's transparency, accountability, susceptibility to political influence, and dual role as a trade association and accreditor. He also questioned the adequacy of ACA's review of an Illinois facility whose medical conditions had been challenged in federal court.