Wisconsin PREA Demonstration Project

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 Wisconsin Department of Corrections will work in conjunction with four adult jails (Dane County, Lacrosse County, Forest County, and Waukesha County), one adult tribal facility (Menominee Nation), three secure juvenile detention facilities (Dane County, Lacrosse County, and Waukesha County), and three municipal lockups (City of New Berlin, City of Muskego, and City of Waukesha) to participate in this demonstration project.

The multi-faceted approach to eliminate sexual abuse at the local level is designed to impact five areas: 1) provision of education and awareness to correctional and law enforcement staff regarding PREA and sexual abuse; 2) development of zero-tolerance policies, procedures, and protocols related to PREA; 3) provision of education and awareness to inmates via the development of visual/readable materials regarding PREA and sexual abuse; 4) development and provision of training for trainers curriculum for correctional and law enforcement; and 5) development of data collection instruments and a database for gathering county PREA information. CA/NCF