In 1971, inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola filed a lawsuit regarding conditions of confinement. After reviewing the conditions at Angola, the U.S. District Court ordered many sweeping changes, including mandates to bring correctional officer staff up to a minimum of 950 within 6 months, to implement immediate training for all correctional officers, to employ at least a 14-member medical staff, to inspect all buildings and correct health and safety problems, and to eliminate racial discrimination. Louisiana entered into a consent decree that placed the DPSC under Federal supervision in 1983. In 1991, a career correctional employee was appointed to head the DPSC, and this individual initiated an accreditation effort with the goal of having the David Wade Correctional Center become the first public prison in Louisiana to receive American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation. Efforts were then made to have the entire DPSC accredited by the ACA. Accreditation contracts were signed by several facilities in 1992, and audits increased in frequency and intensity. Most of the benefits of accreditation were measured in terms of increased professionalism; however, beneficial results also included a better trained work force, team development, and an overall improvement in the quality of life for correctional staff and inmates. 2 photographs