Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
What is PREA?
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) establishes a zero-tolerance standard against sexual assaults and rapes of incarcerated persons. It is Public Law 108-79, signed in September 2003 by President Bush.
PREA sets a standard that protects the Eighth Amendment rights of Federal, State and local prisoners — making the prevention of sexual assault a top priority. It also increases available data on sexual misconduct and sexual assaults, and it increases the accountability for administrators who fail to prevent, reduce, and punish sexual misconduct and sexual assaults.
The Springfield Police Department supports the prosecution of persons who commit acts of sexual misconduct in its facilities. The Springfield Municipal Jail has developed uniform guidelines and procedures to reduce the risk of in-custody sexual assault and sexual activity. The Springfield Jail is committed to a zero-tolerance standard for sexual misconduct and sexual assault.
You can learn more about PREA at the Web sites for the National Institute of Corrections and the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission.
The Springfield Municipal Jail PREA Policy
The Springfield Municipal Jail will comply with the provisions of the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA):
A zero tolerance policy toward all forms of sexual abuse/harassment; and
That if an incident of sexual abuse occurs in an agency facility and the abusers behavior has the potential to be determined as criminal, the investigation will be referred to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.