BJA FY 12 PREA Demonstration Projects to Establish "Zero Tolerance" Cultures For Sexual Assault in Local Adult and Juvenile Correctional Facilities

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Program provides funding to state governments for demonstration projects within local adult and juvenile confinement settings, including jails and juvenile detention facilities, law enforcement lockups and other temporary holding facilities, and tribal detention facilities. Funding is awarded to states that successfully communicate a comprehensive approach to the prevention, detection, and response to the incidence of sexual abuse and clearly prioritize gaps which are as of yet unaddressed, either programmatically or through changes in policy and procedures, as it relates to implementation of the PREA standards. The goal of this program is to assist local adult and juvenile facilities in implementing prevention, identification, and response mechanisms that will reduce the incidence of sexual abuse in confinement facilities.

The Kentucky Department of Corrections will collaborate and contract with the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC) to establish a PREA office. The new office will oversee the internal and external PREA training. The office will consist of two positions: the PREA coordinator and the PREA trainer.

The PREA coordinator will assume responsibility for assuring compliance for all PREA guidelines and oversee data collection for the purpose of compiling reports. The coordinator will work with a research partner to analyze the collected data into meaningful statistics, create new or revised existing PREA training materials for staff, create new or revised existing PREA related information for inmates, and chair a committee to identify existing or potential barriers to inmate and officer safety. The coordinator will also create and deliver in-service training to LMDC staff.

The PREA trainer will schedule, organize, and deliver presentations at regional locations throughout the State of Kentucky. The PREA trainer will also be responsible for scheduling the workshops for 78 local detention facilities throughout Kentucky, preparing materials for the workshop under the guidance of the PREA coordinator, traveling to and from the workshops, and delivering presentations. The PREA trainer will also train other Louisville Metro Government agencies' employees. CA/NCF