Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission Recommends Broward Sheriff’s Office Department of Detention Receive Full Reaccreditation Status

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC) on Wednesday recommended the Broward Sheriff’s Office Department of Detention (DOD) receive full reaccreditation status for its compliance with rigorous standards and industry best practices. 

The FCAC found that DOD was in compliance with all mandatory standards, which address life, health and safety matters inside correctional facilities. Some of the mandatory standards include training, emergency plans and medical requirements. During the FCAC meeting on Wednesday, October 6 in St. Petersburg, commission members cited the teamwork evident among DOD employees and remarked that it was a strong reflection of the overall work done in the department. 

DOD has been accredited by the FCAC since 2000, and this is the fourth time the commission has recognized BSO as an Excelsior agency, which recognizes a department’s ongoing commitment to the accreditation process. The commission commended DOD for its “diligence, professionalism and commitment in achieving this highest recognition among Florida’s correctional community.”  

Assessors singled out DOD’s COVID-19 vaccine incentive program for inmates as an exemplary project. In May, the DOD offered the entire inmate population a COVID-19 vaccination, and as an inducement, inmates who elected to get a vaccine received a kosher commissary pack valued at $25. The DOD continues to offer the incentive and has, thus far, vaccinated nearly 1,800 inmates. 

Broward Sheriff’s Office operates four jail facilities and is the 13th largest local jail system in the United States. The DOD is one of the largest jail systems to have earned national accreditation from the American Correctional Administration and is also nationally accredited with the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare.