The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2003. It was the first federal civil statute to focus on addressing sexual violence in juvenile facilities, jails, prisons, lockups and other secure facilities. The Act also established the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, which in 2009 established national standards “for enhancing the detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment of prison rape.” After extensive periods of public comment and adjustments, the final standards were implemented on August 20, 2012.
For more information, go to the National PREA Resource Center.
DJJ has a zero-tolerance policy toward any incident involving sexual abuse or sexual harassment of a resident. DJJ makes the prevention, detection, and response to such incidents a priority in all facilities housing committed juveniles. All DJJ staff members are responsible for making DJJ facilities safe and for doing their part to be respectful of residents, while preventing sexual abuse and sexual harrassment.
All staff receive extensive education on how to identify behaviors that put residents at risk and how to respond. Youth also receive extensive training, resources and information to recognize sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Staff members and youth are given multiple ways to report sexual abuse and sexual harassment.
If you or someone you know has been sexually abused or sexually harassed while in DJJ’s custody, you can report the incident by:
