(Editor’s Note: The following article was submitted by Sherburne County.)

Sherburne County Jail has earned accreditation from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, an organization that has surveyed and accredited jails and prisons for 40 years.

Accreditation recognizes the jail’s dedication to compliance with the most respected standards of correctional care. An experienced physician and other experts in correctional health care surveyed the facility for compliance with standards on safety, personnel and training, health care services and support, patient care and treatment, health promotion, special needs and services, health records and legal issues, said Sheriff Joel Brott.

“This is a coveted accreditation that confirms what I already knew -- that our supervisors, officers and health care staff are dedicated to the hard work it takes to reach these standards,” Brott said. 

“In achieving NCCHC accreditation, Sherburne County Jail has demonstrated its commitment to meeting constitutional requirements for health care delivery for incarcerated individuals,” said National Commission CEO Deborah Ross. “Accreditation is a voluntary process, and we commend Sherburne County Jail for successfully undertaking this challenge to provide quality health care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”

NCCHC has surveyed and accredited jails, prisons and juvenile detention and confinement facilities for 40 years. The NCCHC standards used in accreditation are developed with input from the nation’s experts in correctional health care.