Q: I heard that NCCHC is revising the standards for jails, prisons, and mental health programs. What is the timeline for implementation of the new standards? How will they be different?
A: It’s true! NCCHC is revising our standards for jails, prisons, and mental health programs.The updated jail and prison standards manuals will be available by the end of the summer; mental health standards will be available this fall. Facilities seeking initial accreditation or reaccreditation in 2026 will be surveyed under the new standards starting January 1, 2026.
NCCHC will begin educating facilities on the new standards during the 2025 mental health conference in July and national conference in November. The CCHP exam will be based on the new standards beginning six months after release of the new manuals.
The process for updating the standards is thorough and comprehensive. The standards are developed with input from correctional thought leaders, clinical and administrative correctional professionals, professional associations, academic organizations, leading correctional organizations, and NCCHC surveyors. The standards are informed by expert consensus, professional guidelines, and law and regulation. New standards added to the manual support patient safety, quality of care, and efficiency.
The basic structure of the standards manuals will remain the same – each standard is described in an intent statement followed by a list of compliance indicators. NCCHC is excited to share that the new manuals provide substantially more support to facilities with enhanced interpretive guidance that puts each standard in context and helps users understand the intent of the standard.
There is also a new section for each standard called Supporting Survey Documentation, which provides recommendations as to what the accreditation surveyors will expect to see during a survey to confirm compliance with the standard.
The new manuals will be the same size, shape, and color as the existing manuals for ease in identification; they will now be spiral-bound for added convenience.
Anticipated publication dates are August 15 for jail and prison standards and October 1 for mental health standards. NCCHC will alert the field when the new manuals are available to order through the NCCHC website. Stay tuned!
