FY 2015 JAG PREA Project

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) provides that a state or territory whose governor does not certify full compliance with the standards is subject to the loss of five percent of any DOJ grant funds that it would otherwise receive for prison purposes, unless the governor submits an assurance that such five percent will be used only for the purpose of enabling the state to achieve and certify full compliance with the standards in future years. See 42 U.S.C. 15607(c). The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program is one of the DOJ grant programs subject to this requirement in fiscal year (FY) 2015, which commenced on October 1, 2014 and ends on September 30, 2015.

The goals of the FY 2015 PREA Reallocation JAG Program are to continue implementation of the national standards to prevent, detect, and respond to prison rape in order to protect individuals from sexual abuse and sexual harassment in confinement. The recipient will use awarded PREA reallocation funds to contract with an independent DOJ certified PREA auditor to ensure compliance with the PREA standards. Grant funds will be used to support a three phase approach that includes pre-audit, audit, and post-audit activities. During the pre-audit phase, IDOC’s Agency PREA Coordinator and each facility’s PREA coordinator will participate by completing required surveys and interviews, providing to the PREA auditor documents required in the federal auditing tool, and posting the required six-week audit notice at each facility. During the audit phase, the auditor will review administrative and institutional directives, tour correctional facilities, and conduct interviews with staff and inmates. During the post audit phase, the auditor will review collected information and documentation, determine the level of compliance with each standard, and provide each facility with an audit report. If a corrective action plan is necessary, the auditor will present those findings to the facility and the facility will then develop a corrective action plan to ensure compliance with the PREA standards.

NCA/NCF