Less than 100 local jails have achieved accreditation since the program began in 1974. Most of those accredited are newer facilities, and house about 500 or fewer inmates. Accreditation is granted for a three year period, with annual reporting required. Jail medical services can request voluntary accreditation through the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. This program audits include all medical services.
Accreditation is granted for three years, with annual reporting required.
An additional oversight for many local jails and state prisons have been the Federal Courts. The Federal Courts provided a significant impetus for change in jails and prisons to ensure that constitutional standards were met. When Congress enacted the Prison Litigation Reform Act in 1996, future court interventions were severely curtailed. An objective system scores an individual arrestee on factors which predict institutional behavior. The criminal charge at arrest is only one factor is determining where an inmate can be safely housed.