The Schenectady County Correctional Facility was recently awarded the New York State Sheriff’s Association Accreditation, an honor held by less than half of jails statewide.
Peter Kehoe, executive director of the association, on Tuesday, Sept. 11, presented County Sheriff Dominic Dagostino with a plaque marking the accreditation. One hundred sixty-six standards are used to award the accreditation, of which successful facilities must meet 80 percent. Accredited facilities must reapply every five years.
“Essentially, becoming an accredited facility says you are the best of the best,” County Jail Superintendent James Barrett said. “It strongly increases the level of training for your staff. When you increase the training, it certainly increases the level of professionalism that provides.”
A beneficial aspect of accreditation is it provides the county with a strong legal foundation if lawsuits are filed involving the jail, Kehoe said. Other benefits include improving operations and performance, increasing employee moral and a possible reduction in lawsuits and insurance costs, according to Kehoe.
The title is good for “bragging rights,” too, he said.
“This is no easy accomplishment,” Kehoe said. “It is clear you have a Sheriff’s Office and a sheriff that are pursuing excellence in their profession and they deserve to be applauded for it.”
Also, it sends a message to the community regarding the high standards of the facility.
“I hope the impact on the people on the community is that we are trained professionals and there is a certain level of expectation we are being held to now,” Barrett said.
Kehoe praised correctional employees for their work, which is normally outside of the public’s view.
“Corrections officers are the unsung hero of the law enforcement system,” Kehoe said. “They spend a large part of their lives behind bars locked up with some of the worst people in our society. They keep us safe from those people, but they must also keep those people safe from each other.”
Two years ago, Dagostino began to focus efforts on complying with the standards. At first, some employees had a difficult time adapting to new procedures or accepting change, Barrett said. Once people started getting used to the new policies and standards though, he said corrections officers pulled together as a team.
“The department came together as family … it is something that everybody is very proud of,” Barrett said. “I was extremely thankful to Sheriff Dagostino for his commitment and dedication to this accreditation process.”
The facility has around 175 employees in its corrections division and the maximum capacity of the jail is 378 inmates.
Schenectady County Chairwoman Judith Dagostino applauded the department for obtaining accreditation.
“I am very, very proud and very happy that this occurred,” she said. “You have worked hard and should be honored.”