State of Wisconsin FY16 PREA Reallocation Funds

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) 2016.

The goals of the FY 2016 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 grantee will use awarded PREA Reallocation funds to pay for PREA audits in its adult facilities. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WIDOC) is committed to achieving compliance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) in its adult facilities. The WIDOC has an adult inmate population of over 22,000, housed in 18 correctional institutions, 16 correctional centers, one transitional facility and one detention facility. In addition to the facilities under the operational control of WIDOC, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) operates one facility which houses WIDOC inmates in need of specialized mental health care. All of the WIDOC facilities and the one DHS facility that houses WIDOC inmates are subject to the adult prisons and jails PREA standards.
NCA/NCF