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PREA / Offender Sexual Abuse

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    The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA, P.L. 108-79) was enacted by Congress to address the problem of sexual abuse of persons in the custody of U.S. correctional agencies. The National Institute of Corrections has been a leader in this topic area since 2004, providing assistance to many agencies through information and training resources.

    Major provisions of PREA include:

    • Adherence to a zero-tolerance standard for the incidence of inmate sexual assault and rape;

    • Development of standards for detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment of prison rape;

    • Collection and dissemination of information on the incidence of prison rape; and

    • Award of grant funds to help state and local governments implement the purposes of the Act.


    The Act applies to all public and private institutions that house adult or juvenile offenders and is also relevant to community-based agencies; and addresses both inmate-on-inmate sexual abuse and staff sexual misconduct.

    On June 23, 2009, the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission released and forwarded to the US Attorney General their final report and proposed standards to prevent, detect, respond to and monitor sexual abuse of incarcerated and detained individuals. Based on the Attorney General’s independent judgment, a final rule will be published adopting such national standards. To that end, a work group was established in late 2009 to review the proposed standards, collect and consider additional information and comments, and make recommendations to the Attorney General regarding the final rule. These recommendations were incorporated into the proposed standards, and were published in the Federal Register for a second 60-day public comment period on February 3, 2011. That public comment period closed on April 4, 2011. Comments may be viewed at the Federal Register site. The work group will diligently review the comments made and will prepare further recommendations to the Attorney General.

    Links to the Federal Register, Commission report and executive summary, to the proposed standards, and to other relevant documents are provided in the "Related Web Sites" sidebar to the left.


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    Recommended Reading

    Date Title Type
    2010

    NIC Publication
    Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Resources
    This DVD contains NIC videos, DOJ proposed standards, an NIC e-course and dozens of documents to help you learn about the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). The disk includes:
    • the E-Course “Your Role: Responding to Sexual Abuse”
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    Related Resources

    Date Title Type
    2006

    NIC Publication
    Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA): Considerations for Policy Review
    A policy review guide designed to assist in drafting PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) policies for review by the National Institute of Corrections is provided. Sections of this document are: purpose; questions to consider -- policy organization, de... Read More
    		PDF
    2002

    NIC Publication
    Inmate Sexual Assault: An Overview of Selected Print and Electronic Resources
    An overview of research and information sources dealing with prison rape is presented. Created in response to increased interest generated by the "Prison Rape Reduction Act of 2002," this document provides a background to the Act and summaries of res... Read More
    		PDF
    2004

    NIC Publication
    A Town Hall Meeting - Addressing the Prison Rape Elimination Act [Satellite/Internet Broadcast]
    This 2-hour program in a town hall format was broadcast live from the American Correctional Association's Winter Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on January 10, 2005. The discussion panel includes various leaders working in and with corrections and cri... Read More
    2004

    NIC Publication
    Annual Report to Congress: National Institute of Corrections: Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Public Law 108-79
    Presents a report that "fulfills the requirement in section 5(b) of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) for the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) to submit an annual report to Congress and to the Secretary of Health and Human Service... Read More
    		PDF
    2005

    NIC Publication
    Summary Report: Regional Workshops
    Feedback from four executive level regional workshops regarding the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is reported. Extended responses from groups of executive-level administrators and policy makers representing community corrections, prisons, jails,... Read More
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    2004

    NIC Publication
    Bibliography on Staff Sexual Misconduct with Offenders
    A list of 19 items that provide information about staff sexual misconduct is presented.... Read More
    		PDF
    2005

    NIC Publication
    Presentations Given at the New England Council on Crime and Delinquency: Prison Rape Elimination Act Training
    Materials for use in training about the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) can be found at this website. Four items available here in PowerPoint and PDF formats are: The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003; PREA -- Implications for Community Correct... Read More
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    2006

    NIC Publication
    Proceedings of the Large Jail Network Meeting - January 2006
    Contents of these proceedings are: meeting highlights; Report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics by Allen Beck; Discussion: PREA in Local Jails; Statistical Analysis: Crowding, Life Safety, and Managing Staff by Patrick Jablonski and Scott Bradste... Read More
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    2006

    NIC Publication
    Prison Rape Elimination Act and Local Jails: The Facts
    This brochure explains the impact of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) on jails. Topics discussed include: what PREA is; how PREA applies to jails; what jails need to be doing; and answers to frequently asked questions.... Read More
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    2006

    NIC Publication
    Recognizing and Addressing Sexual Abuse, Assault Prevention and Intervention Issues In Your Juvenile Justice Setting: A Companion Workshop to the Overview of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) [Participant's Manual]
    This Overview Workshop covers PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) in juvenile justice settings. Participants will be able to: recognize signs and symptoms of potential sexual abuse and assault in juveniles under their care; articulate the "dos" and "... Read More
    		PDF
    2005

    NIC Publication
    Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Summary of Responses from Juvenile Focus Group on Staff Sexual Misconduct and Youth on Youth Sexual Assault
    Responses to thirteen questions regarding curriculum related to staff sexual misconduct with youth and youth on youth sexual assault are provided. "The objectives of the focus groups included: (1) to gather data that will inform NIC [National Institu... Read More
    		PDF
    2006

    NIC Publication
    Staff Perspectives: Sexual Violence in Adult Prisons and Jails: Trends from Focus Group Interviews
    Findings from focus group interviews of correctional personnel are reported. Observations are presented according to the following topics: staff perspectives on sexual violence policy; changing attitudes; inmate culture; causes and conditions of sex... Read More
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    Available Training Opportunities

    • Available Online - Your Role: Responding to Sexual Abuse
      This e-course is designed to enhance correctional professionals’ skills in responding to incidents and allegations of sexual abuse.
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