Los Angeles County PREA Demonstration Project

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Program provides funding to states, units of local governments, and federally recognized Indian tribes to support comprehensive approaches within state, tribal, and local adult and juvenile correctional facilities to prevent, detect, and respond to incidences of sexual victimization. The PREA Program provides funding to eligible applicants for demonstration projects within confinement settings, including adult prisons and jails; juvenile facilities; community corrections facilities; law enforcement lockups and other temporary holding facilities; and tribal detention facilities. Applicants must 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 they relate 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 grantee will use awarded grant funds to review and revise the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department policies and procedures to bring them into compliance with national PREA standards and best practices. Funding will promote a broad-based culture shift within the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department through new staff training programs that comply with PREA standards and address each employee's role in preventing and responding to sexual abuse. Awarded funds will also be used to develop imnate education programs that address the particular needs of detainees within the Sheriff's Department's diverse detention facilities.
CA/NCF