On December 18, 2019, the Alachua County Department of Court Services Pretrial Services Division became the fifth pretrial program nationally and the first pretrial program within Florida to achieve national accreditation status through the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA). The NAPSA Accreditation Commission voted unanimously to approve the Alachua County Pretrial Service Agencies, National Accreditation. The Accreditation is effective January 1, 2020, for three years. Alachua County Pretrial Services completed the final phase of the yearlong accreditation process with the on-site assessment on September 24 and 25, 2019.
Accreditation verifies and validates that an agency is meeting professional standards. NAPSA’s Accreditation program provides pretrial agencies the opportunity to ensure that the pretrial release standards are implemented in programs to their fullest extent. Benefits of accreditation include improved staff training and development, assessment of program strengths or weaknesses, the establishment of measurable criteria for upgrading operations, improved staff morale and professionalism, a more constructive environment for staff, performance-based benefits, and strength through the audit process.
The accreditation program requires agencies to comply with operational standards in four areas, including personnel practices, organization and management, pretrial services risk assessment and recommendations, and pretrial services program supervision. The benefits to a program are proportionate to the program’s commitment to incorporate the process into its daily management and operation. It is not just achieving accreditation, but also maintaining accreditation that attests to the program striving for excellence through the application of the standards and best practices throughout its operation.
For more information, contact Alachua County Accreditation Manager Jeff Kilpatrick at 352-264-6982 or
jhk@alachuacounty.us.