McHenry County jail earns national recognition

In what's expected to drive down insurance costs and fend off lawsuits, the McHenry County jail this month received national accreditation from the American Correctional Association.

The accreditation, earned over nearly five years, formally recognizes the jail for its work to meet hundreds of national standards outlining how a correctional facility should operate.

With the designation, McHenry County joins Lake, DuPage and Will as the only counties in Illinois with a nationally accredited jail.

"It's an opportunity for us to meet the best standards nationwide," Sheriff Keith Nygren said Wednesday. "I'm really proud of what the jail did. They did a great deal of hard work over the last five years to make this happen."

The American Correctional Association awarded the accreditation after a three-day audit in June in which 384 performance standards - 64 of them considered mandatory - were examined. The jail, according to the sheriff's office, scored 100 percent compliance on the mandatory standards and 94.2 percent on those deemed non-mandatory.

The sheriff's office said accreditation will help the county defend the jail against inmate lawsuits by showing its high standards and efforts to improve conditions. It also will be a selling point when seeking insurance quotes, Nygren said.

"Most importantly, it helps us run the facility and treat inmates as best we can," he added.

The cost of the accreditation process for the county, according to fee figures on the ACA's website, was about $13,500, a figure that does not include staff work over the years to prep for it.