Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)

Sexual Victimization in Local Jails Reported by Inmates, 2007

2008-06-25T16:13:00Z

The Bureau of Justice Statistics has published a report on sexual victimization in local jails. The data for the 2007 National Inmate Survey (NIS) was collected from a sample of 40,419 inmates between April and December, and surveyed 282 local jails.

Highlights:

About 1.6% of inmates (12,100, nationwide) reported an incident involving another inmate, and 2.0% (15,200) reported an incident involving staff.
Inmate-on-inmate victimization occurred most often in the victim's cell (56%); staff-on-inmate victimization occurred in a closet, office, or other locked room (47%).
An estimated 5.1% of female inmates, compared to 2.9% of male inmates, said they had experienced one or more incidents of sexual victimization.

This data was collected as required by the the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (P.L.-108-79).

More PREA Standards Released For Comment

2008-06-16T14:42:00Z

The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission has released draft standards for lockups, community corrections, and juvenile facilities, which are available at www.nprec.us for public comment from June 16th through August 1st. The first set of draft standards, addressing adult prisons and jails, and supplemental standards for facilities that hold immigration detainees, will continue to be available for comment through July 7th.

Public Comment Sought on Proposed PREA Standards

2008-05-05T20:30:00Z

The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC) has released their draft standards for adult prisons, jails, and facilities holding immigration detainees. The Commission is seeking public input regarding these proposed standards between the dates of May 5 through July 7, 2008. Draft standards concerning lockups, juvenile and community corrections facilities will be available for viewing and public comment in June 2008. For further information on how the standards were formulated, copies of the draft standards, and methods by which the public may provide comments, please click here.

Helping Judges and Prosecutors Understand and Manage PREA Cases

2008-03-13T22:51:00Z

Two items are available from the National Judicial College (NJC), under a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), that will help judges and prosecutors understand and manage PREA cases. "What Judges Need to Know About Prison Rape: The Prison Rape Elimination Act and the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003: Curriculum for Judges. According to NJC, "The purpose of both resources is that judges will be able to:

identify the critical provisions of PREA
manage PREA cases effectively and efficiently
apply evidentiary rules in PREA cases
and sentence offenders considering victim's rights, reentry, community safety, and other significant concerns."

According to the NJC site, "The two CD-ROMs are in one-hour self-study formats - one for prosecutors and one for judges." You can read more about these resources and how to request the CD's.

Fourth Annual Report to Congress on Department of Justice Activitites Related to the Prison Rape Elimination Act

2008-02-28T22:25:00Z

This report covers calendar year 2006 and summarizes the activities of the federal agencies charged with specific tasks regarding the implementation and monitoring of compliance with the requirements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)

Chat About PREA Implications for Juvenile Justice Agencies

2008-02-19T17:35:00Z

On June 1, 2006 The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission held a public hearing focusing on issues concerning juvenile populations. Testimony from that hearing brought to light questions regarding the implications of PREA for juvenile justice agencies. The hearing raised many issues including: policies preventing youth
on youth sexual contact; training on "normal" adolescent development; medical and mental health care; and management and operational practice standards that will work in the various agencies housing or supervising youth. The online chat on March 21, 2008 will explore these issues and discuss policy and other challenges in implementing PREA for juvenile justice agencies.

Read more about the live chat and get instructions on how to participate in this announcement.

Sexual Victimization in Correctional Facilities - Free Online Event

2008-01-29T23:11:00Z

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in partnership with Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government Innovators Network will be hosting a free online discussion regarding sexual victimization in correctional facilities. An expert panel will address the state of current research and what can be done to reduce and eliminate such events. The date is Feb. 7, 2008, 2PM - 4PM EST. For information on registration, access instructions, participants, and additional resources, please click here.

Participate in the PREA Standards Implementation Needs Assessment

2008-01-09T17:51:00Z

The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC) is inviting up to 10 facilities to participate in the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Standards Implementation Needs Assessment (SINA). The Commission is seeking feedback on the PREA draft standards regarding feasibility of implementation of the standards, as written, and possible suggestions to ease implementation and compliance concerns.

Sexual Victimization in State and Federal Prisons Reported by Inmates, 2007

2007-12-19T21:10:00Z

The Bureau of Justice Statistics has compiled data from a sample of 23,398 inmates in 146 State and Federal prisons on the prevalence and incidences of sexual victimization. The data include inmate-on-inmate victimization, as well as staff sexual misconduct.

No Cost Assistance for PREA

2007-11-19T22:29:00Z

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has provided a grant to the Center for Innovative Public Policies (CIPP) to make information, training, or technical assistance on the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 available at no cost. See the downloadable flyer announcing, "The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) What Every Chief of Police and Sheriff Needs to Know".

Annual Report to Congress on the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003

2007-11-16T22:57:00Z

The third annual report to Congress detailing the activities and accomplishments of federal agencies charged with specific tasks regarding the implementation and monitoring of compliance with the requirements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) by Federal and State law enforcement and correctional agencies is available here.

Protocol for Sexual Assault Examinations

2007-09-25T18:42:00Z

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women (VAWA) has developed a national protocol for sexual assault medical forensic examinations. This report provides a blueprint that jurisdictions may employ in the development and implementation of strategies specific to the examination process.

Prison Rape Survivors Speak Out

2007-08-30T17:01:00Z

In Our Experience: Recommendations by Prisoner Rape Survivors to the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission is a publication derived from the first Prisoner Rape Survivor Summit conducted by Stop Prisoner Rape. Participants pointed out the vulnerability of certain individuals (physically and/or mentally disadvantaged; youthful offenders; smaller individuals; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning) and the legal responsibility of the criminal justice system to provide a safe and humane environment. Their recommendations emphasized the importance of classification, housing assignments, staff training, and the role of authorities in preventing and investigating sexual assaults to ensure the fundamental dignity and safety of incarcerated persons.

When is Silence Not Golden?

2007-08-27T16:16:00Z

With the passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act, correctional authorities are even more acutely aware of their legal obligation to provide an environment free from sexual violence and harassment. But what if the perpetrator is a correctional employee? Do correctional employees have a "code of silence" that enables and shields these perpetrators? What is the impact on the safety of staff and offenders? How does one define sexual misconduct and/or inappropriate relationships between staff and offenders? What is the obligation of staff aware of such a situation? These questions and more are addressed in the publication: "Breaking the Code of Silence: Correction Officers' Handbook on Identifying and Addressing Sexual Misconduct". This document also examines the legal consequences of a sexual misconduct allegation, the rights of the accused during an investigation, and prevention strategies that aid in reducing these incidents. This document is only available from the web and may be accessed by clicking here.

New Statistics on Sexual Violence

2007-08-16T20:13:00Z

The Bureau of Justice Statistics today released Sexual Violence Reported by Correctional Authorities, 2006, the latest in its series of statistical reports. It provides counts of reported sexual violence, by type, for adult prisons, jails, and other adult correctional facilities. The link above provides access to the full report, along with a summary and highlights.