Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was signed into law by President George W. Bush on September 4, 2003. It was created to eliminate sexual abuse in confinement facilities including adult prisons and jails, lockups, community confinement facilities and juvenile facilities.  PREA includes forty-three (43) standards that define three clear goals, to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse.

The Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) is responsible for protecting the rights of inmates and offenders placed under the Department's custody and supervision.  This includes providing inmates with a safe environment, free from sexual abuse, sexual battery and sexual harassment.  The Department has established a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse, sexual battery and sexual harassment, pursuant to the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003.  Zero-tolerance applies not only to incidents between inmates, but also to incidents involving staff members, contractors, and volunteers.  The policy also encompasses an inmate, staff or volunteer's right to be free from retaliation if they report an incident or participate in an investigation.

All staff members, contractors and volunteers receive training on their duties and responsibilities under PREA and the Department's zero-tolerance policy.

All staff members, contractors, and volunteers are informed that they are required by law to report any incident(s) or allegation(s) of sexual abuse, sexual battery or sexual harassment immediately.

FDOC has assigned a PREA Coordinator and support staff to assist in developing, implementing and monitoring the Department's compliance of the PREA standards.

For questions or comments regarding The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) please contact us at [email protected] .

Resources:

• Instructions for Filing a Third Party Grievance
• Third Party Grievance Form
• Florida Statute 944.31
• FDC Policy 108.015
• PREA Final Standards
• PREA Resource Center
• PREA Survivor Stories
• Miami-Dade County facility Investigations

Publications:

PREA Audit Reports