Eastern Shore Criminal Justice Academy's PREA Initiative

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Program provides funding to states, units of local government, 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.

Wor-Wic Community College will use awarded grant funds to work with a contractor to develop trainings that will address PREA compliance among correctional facilities and law enforcement agencies in eight Maryland counties. Funding will also be used to develop a first responder toolkit and manual for correctional staff, revise staff training curriculums to address sexual safety, develop training for correctional staff to ensure awareness of PREA standards, provide support for PREA audits, and develop PREA train the trainer events.
CA/NCF