American Samoa PREA FY-22

The Criminal Justice Planning Agency of American Samoa will be applying as the State Administering Agency for the amount of $24,409 of the PREA allocation for American Samoa entitles FY 2022 PREA. The goal of our project is to mirror what was proposed in our last application titled FY 2021 PREA Program as circumstances did not allow us to fulfill our obligations. Circumstances include the pandemic and our local government’s efforts in responding to the pandemic, i.e. closure of borders,mandates of banning gatherings, and six feet distances between individuals among other things. The American Samoa Government has recently eased on said mandates and has opened back up the borders for travel. A new executive order from the Governor also announced the establishment of a new executive department known as the “Corrections Agency”. This oversees the TCF and JDC and is no longer a division of our local Department of Safety. CJPA anticipates a new but clearer communication streamline with the Corrections Agency and foresees the PREA project to have a more positive and substantial outcome. 

Our intentions on spending PREA funds for 2022 will be focused on continuing General Prevention planning through hiring a PREA coordinator/officer and to train him/her on requirements guidelines of the PREA program. We will also be focusing on conducting an audit of our two secured facilities and will be requiring services from a certified DOJ auditor. We will be looking to the DOJ for assistance in this matter since our closest neighbor, Hawaii, does not have a DOJ auditor. PREA funds will be allocated for traveling funding of a certified auditor to American Samoa.