PREa

PREA, the Prison Rape Elimination Act, is a United States federal law passed in 2003 to address the prevention, detection, and response to sexual abuse in confinement settings, including federal, state, and local prisons and jails, as well as juvenile facilities. The act authorized the creation of national standards and mandated data collection to assess the scope of the problem.

Under PREA, the Department of Justice established the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission to study the prevalence of sexual abuse in confinement and to recommend uniform standards. In 2012 the Justice Department issued PREA standards that require facilities to implement prevention programs, training for staff and contractors, reporting mechanisms, victim support, independent reporting channels, prospective investigations, and regular monitoring. Facilities must maintain a PREA coordinator and undergo independent audits to verify compliance.

The act has been implemented across federal, state, and local correctional systems and has influenced policies beyond prisons, including community supervision facilities in some jurisdictions. Its impact is assessed through annual reporting by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and other evaluations; results indicate reductions in reported incidents in some facilities, though observers note ongoing challenges such as underreporting, resource constraints, and uneven adoption across jurisdictions.

See also Prison reform; Inmate rights.