Montana 2015 JAG PREA Reallocation Funds Program

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 community-based service providers for medical and mental health care services for those who are involved in Montana's adult and juvenile justice systems. The funds will also be used to provide emergency and ongoing medical and mental health care for inmate victims. The PREA funds will also provide access to sexual assault experts, ranging from those taking crisis calls on a hotline to the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner who will conduct forensic exams.

NCA/NCF