Massachusetts Department of Correction PREA 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 34 U.S.C. 30307(e). The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program is one of the DOJ grant programs subject to this requirement in fiscal year (FY) 2019.

The goals of the FY 2019 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. States funded under this program are eligible to receive support and assistance from a BJA funded technical assistance provider.

The recipient will continue to support activities in an effort to achieve compliance with the PREA Standards. A portion of funds will be used to enhance facility surveillance systems. Specifically, funds will be used to purchase cameras and related security system equipment. Also, the recipient will update and utilize licenses to collect, track and report data via the Tableau software. This management tools will be used to track PREA related events and audits at the DOC and county jails. In addition, funds will be used to conduct PREA annual audits at four facilities. Lastly, following the state procurement law, the Research Contractor /Facilitator will be hired to lead a LBGTQI Task Force. NCA/NCF