Marrakech – Morocco’s National Institute for Staff Training has become the first institution of its kind in Africa and the Arab world to earn accreditation from the American Correctional Association (ACA).
The institute, operated by the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR), met the organization’s international standards to secure the recognition.
The ACA presented the accreditation certificate to the DGAPR’s secretary-general during the association’s international conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The forum ran from July 29 to August 2 and drew the institute’s director along with several members of its staff.
التعاون الأمني بين الولايات المتحدة والمغرب يحقق نتائج ملموسة. أصبح المعهد الوطني لتكوين موظفي إدارة السجون التابع للمندوبية العامة لإدارة السجون وإعادة الإدماج أول مؤسسة تدريبية في إفريقيا والعالم العربي تحصل على اعتماد الجمعية الأمريكية للإصلاحيا، وذلك بدعم متواصل من مكتب… https://t.co/Kkhq4lwg9a
— U.S. Embassy Morocco (@USEmbMorocco) August 19, 2026
Moroccan officials used the gathering to present the country’s work on digitizing prison management and folding modern technologies into correctional services.
According to the DGAPR, participants pointed to the level of development in Morocco’s prison system, its compliance with international standards, and its record on good governance, human rights, professional management, and operational efficiency.
The DGAPR’s secretary-general described the accreditation as a source of pride for the institution. He tied the achievement to a longstanding partnership with the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and he committed the delegation to further modernization.
That effort, he explained, would extend the accreditation process to correctional facilities themselves, in line with a mission built on preparing inmates for reintegration and safeguarding public security. He added that Morocco’s prison policy rests on improving detention conditions and preserving inmates’ dignity.
The recognition, the DGAPR noted, reflects a broader push to strengthen staff training and expand institutional capacity. It positions the National Institute for Staff Training as a regional and international hub for correctional education and South-South cooperation.
The delegation characterized the accreditation as an acknowledgment of its training model, which prepares prison personnel through modern methods of designing, implementing, and evaluating programs.
The milestone rests on continued INL support and a cooperation partnership in place since 2011, part of the wider strategic relationship between Morocco and the United States.
It also clears the way for the institute to issue qualifications equivalent to those from accredited US correctional training institutions, building on regional programs it has already delivered to delegations from Africa and the Middle East and North Africa.
The US Embassy in Morocco framed the accreditation as evidence that security cooperation “delivers results.” In a post on social media Wednesday, the embassy credited the “sustained support” of the INL. Marking “nearly 250 years of partnership,” it described the two governments as working to strengthen cooperation that makes “both our countries safer.”
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