Eradicating Sexual Violence in Correctional Settings

Eradicating Sexual Violence in Correctional Settings: The Prison Rape Elimination Act & Juvenile Justice

The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) is the first federal civil statute focused specifically on addressing sexual violence in juvenile facilities, jails, prisons, lockups, and other facilities. PREA also established a national commission which held hearings about sexual misconduct, issued reports on the problem of sexual victimization in secure facilities, and proposed standards for the prevention, detection, and response to sexual misconduct in criminal and juvenile justice settings. In June 2012, the Department of Justice published the final standards that guide prevention, detection and response to sexual violence. These standards apply to facilities that house youth, including juvenile facilities, adult prisons, jails, lockups, and community correctional settings. 

Linda McFarlane, the Deputy Executive Director of Just Detention International and Dana Shoenberg, Deputy Director of the Center for Children's Law and Policy join us to discuss PREA. They will talk about why and how the standards were developed, explore which facilities are subject to the standards and what that means for facilities that hold youth, and share some emerging best practices, including a collaborative effort recently started in New York.