Jail and Prison Standards
Standards for Health Services in Jails/Prisons
Developed by leaders in the fields of health, mental health, law, and corrections, NCCHC’s nationally recognized Standards lay the foundation for constitutionally acceptable health services systems.
Use of these benchmark standards can improve health services delivery. The Standards address these general areas: governance and administration; health promotion, safety, and disease prevention; personnel and training; ancillary health care services; patient care and treatment; special needs and services, and medical-legal issues. These editions feature updated recommendations for continuous quality improvement, clinical performance enhancement, patient safety, initial health assessment, pharmaceutical operations, and women’s health.
These user-friendly manuals provide clear compliance indicators that define expected outcomes and aid in self-assessment, guidelines for facilities of various sizes, and best practices recommendations.
The newest Standards were published in August 2025. Learn more about the updates.
Accreditation will reference the new Standards starting January 1, 2026. The CCHP exam will reference the new Standards starting February 25, 2026.
The new Standards are available in print and digital access.
Digital access is a single-user license that allows annotation, but does not permit printing or sharing.
