Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), a federal law enacted in 2003, was created to eliminate sexual abuse in confinement facilities. In addition to providing federal funding for research, programs, training, and technical assistance to address the issue, the legislation mandated the development recommended national standards. The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission developed recommended national standards for reducing prison rape. The final standards became effective June 20, 2012, when they published by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the Federal Register. More recently, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released final standards for DHS confinement facilities, effective May 6, 2014.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office endeavors to comply with the training standards in the PREA Rule and to ensure that all staff, volunteers and contractors are aware of their responsibilities and that staff, volunteers, contractors and inmates are aware of the policies and procedures of the facility as they relate to PREA.

PREA Resources

The following information and resources reflect the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office’s commitment to the PREA.

Any allegation of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual misconduct will be investigated to the fullest extent whether administratively or criminally.