The women’s division of the Shelby County Jail is now nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections (C.A.C.), which is part of the American Correctional Association (A.C.A.). This is the first time the women’s jail has received this prestigious designation since the facility opened in East Memphis in 1999.  

“This is a very significant event for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Only about 13 percent of the jails and prisons in America meet the rigorous standards for accreditation. I commend our staff at Jail East for their hard work and dedication to make the Shelby County Jail one of the best run jails in America,” said Sheriff Luttrell.

“Receiving accreditation demonstrates the commitment and professionalism of those who work at Jail East. They have worked tirelessly to receive this national recognition,” said Chief Jailer James E. Coleman.

Sheriff Luttrell, Chief Jailer Coleman, members of the Jail East command staff and the jail accreditation team, received the Certificate of Accreditation last week at the 137th Annual Congress of Corrections in Kansas City, Missouri. 

During the accreditation ceremony, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office was recognized for its outstanding efforts to provide a safe and secure facility for women inmates.

Robert Garvey, Chairperson of the C.A.C. and Gary Maynard, President of the A.C.A., both complimented Sheriff Luttrell and the staff at Jail East for meeting the 62 mandatory and more than 300 other non-mandatory standards needed for accreditation. 

Earlier this year, an accreditation standards review team personally visited the women’s jail to examine the policies, procedures and the staff’s knowledge of operations.

The three-year accreditation award granted to Jail East does not signal the end of the accreditation process. The staff at Jail East will continually update and review operational procedures to ensure they meet accreditation standards.

Last year, the men’s division of the Shelby County Jail at 201 Poplar received national accreditation. That was the first time the prestigious designation had been received by the men’s facility since it opened in 1981.