- When we first started this three years ago, didn't have no idea how much work it was gonna be, but we're at the end now and it was well worth it. It's important that we're that voice for them, and we're able to speak for them.

- The goals of the grant program was to conduct an assessment on the existing policies and procedures that we had, and different aspects of the program, and to find out where policies didn't exist, or what policies could be updated to meet or exceed the standards of PREA, and create like a template for other tribal detention facilities to do the same thing that we did.

- Throughout this PREA project, we've done a lot of good solid training. We have a good solid foundation for the safety of our inmates or our clients here, and that we're able to continue in the future to provide the structure needed to provide the safety and security.

- Our building is called Wanbli Wiconi Tipi. Our partnership was with our Elderly Advisory Board. The day the location was to be picked for JDC, we had three medicine men, some elderly women, and so they came to the site and as they sat here an eagle came from the north side and flew in front of the van that they were sitting in and then flew off to the west. All the elders got to pick their names and what it should be called, and one of the medicine men, his name was Mr Sam Wounded Head came up with the name of Wanbli Wiconi Tipi Eagle Life Center. I started here in JDC in 2002. That was the first time that I heard the term PREA and representing the Prison Rape Elimination Act at the time, I guess I thought, well, you know as a tribal jail, we never had an issue like that in Indian country, let alone the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. I guess when it first came out, I wasn't too worried about it. The more continuation of my research reading, well, you know, it's good to have it because then now you got something, you know a tool in place that protects.

- I just thought it would be the best thing for our community to provide policies and response to children who are incarcerated in our tribal facility here in Rosebud.

- Of course, you know when we first started talking about bringing it in, there was a little bit of resistance from staff that were not aware or were not up with PREA. You had to get the buy-in from, not only our staff, but our people, our tribe. So the council members, we had to educate all of them on the rules that apply within our facility. We just don't do things because we feel like doing it PREA is part of it. PREA is to protect our youth.

- And we did implement it slowly. You know, it wasn't just everything at once. We did it in stages. It might've caused some bad feelings when especially when the new guy comes in who's probably considered he's not loyal enough yet. You know? So I think I would have presented it different if I could do it over and just got everyone's opinion on it, you know, what do you think of this? You know, this is what PREA means. This is, we want to do this because, you know, we're we're their voice for these youth.

- There's often such a deep disconnect between correctional facilities and advocates that respond to those facilities. I mean, everybody has their own, not just agenda, but rules and policies that they must follow. But I think we have to remember, again, these are our relatives and certainly native communities understand that responding in Indian country looks a lot different than does any place else. And so taking the best of who we are and our best practices and our integrating our culture into how we respond to a sexual assault. And even if that means providing support for correction staff, because they don't often understand those dynamics, I think taking opportunities to train and have conversations and, you know, making sure that they're on sexual assault response teams that personnel are so that they're totally integrated into the process and learning about those dynamics. That they will understand it'll make their job a lot easier in the long run to providing the kind of services that we really want to.

- So you get a lot of cynicism in corrections. I think that's where we got the most buy-in from our staff because most of our elders, they grew up in institutions. We didn't have juvenile detention centers but we had boarding schools. And in those boarding schools, there was a lot of bad things happening. A lot of our elders and loved ones and people close to us have been affected in one way or another by the boarding schools. And often times it's not even really talked about.

- This not only protects our youth but it protects us as well. You know, anything can happen. This isn't the ideal setting for someone to be in. With as many years as I've been working, I've seen an array of things. With this PREA, it actually puts the knowledge in place to help protect us and also protect our youth.

- I was a former prosecutor. I certainly understand the dynamics of the criminal justice system and really the lack of services inside a facility. So it was really important that we were part of that process. And I think which made it even better was that the facility itself was open to having advocates assist in being the voice to sexual assault victims, and certainly building in that immediate response what our policies were going to look like. And so I wouldn't expect any less out of this facility because they are really the heart of the juvenile system here.

- I've worked in other jails with not with only in this reservation, but other reservations that kind of had an initial start of it, but nothing on the scale of what our PREA Special Assistant, Thomas Yellow Boy started.

- As I started getting into the standards and I seen just every single standard that went with the PREA and juvenile detention. You have to devote a lot of time to it and I just couldn't, you know, put it on the back burner while I did other things and expect to get it done. I asked, then facility administrator, if I can focus mainly on PREA, because it was so important and so big. And he said, sure, he said, not a problem. If there's a new program that's out there that comes in that's going to benefit our facility, prevent liability for my staff and protect the kids that we serve, I'm all about that. I'm gonna the jump on that to try and bring it in.

- I made my main focus PREA and as I got more into it, I discovered, okay I'm going to need some help with this. And that's when I asked about putting together a team for it. Myself, and then two PREA compliance managers that work together when it comes to training of staff, training of youth

- My interest with it was just to be a part of something that was more than me that would help the kids, help our staff, help our facility and be the first Indian jail to be PREA compliant.

- I knew there'd be a lot going into this project. Once we started getting an actual outline of what we were told that we could do and help with, with Thomas guiding us as we went as well. It just laid out that this is the lines we need to do. This is what we're going to do. This is who we need to train, how we need to train them and just getting the material and everything out there.

- We've been working with how to teach these kids different from adults. Explaining things in a different way, how bullying and sexual harassment, what the differences are. And if something makes you uncomfortable, it isn't right.

- A lot of the stereotype things is keep your mouth shut, don't say nothing, you know, but now we're giving them that outlet to actually speak up and get themselves help. Now they know that, hey, this is something you can come to us about. This is something you can talk to us about not just within this facility, but if you see me on the street and you feel like you need to talk, I'm here to do it. Within the Native American culture, it's kind of a stigma. You could say, like it was majority of the time it's, okay, this happened. Everybody's so used to results not being done, especially within our little communities.

- For some of these kids, this is probably the first time anyone's ever cared enough to ask or even have any concerns like you know, who knows how, if they ever knew or known that it was right from wrong,

- We do different activities. Hands-on things that will stick with the kids and help them comprehend and learn.

- 70% of our space here at the Wanbli Wiconi Tipi is set up for programming with 30% detention. Part of our programming is the youth get to participate in their Lakota culture. It's a very important part of our youth and their culture of who they are so we encourage all programming when it comes to the Lakota culture and history.

- Our children are poly victims; whether it's abuse, neglect, prior sexual assaults. And being able to understand the trauma and the issues that are created within the facility because of those types of issues among the youth. Interceding, especially at a point where youth has been harmed by sexual violence is so important. So we make it a safe place and a growing place and a healing place. That's really the philosophy of this facility. And you don't often see that in other correctional facilities.

- As a result of this PREA grant and the implementation and where we're at in the process, a major change has been the infrastructure of providing the services. We now have the outreach for the clients say if they feel that they're at risk or in harm that they can actually communicate with a PREA coordinator or a contact here at the JDC that they have alternative resources to gain help in reporting through our electronic system, our site systems that we have in place.

- As our youth enter booking the first thing they're gonna to do for their process, is they're gonna come up to the booking desk. Once they're at the booking desk, the first part of PREA that's going to be introduced to them is our PREA acknowledgement form. This PREA acknowledgement forms just states that while they're in our custody they will have the right to be free from sexual abuse, sexual harassment any kind of retaliation, and they can be free to report anything that will happen to them. The PREA acknowledgement form we have in Spanish, we have in English and soon to be the Lakota language here on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation.

- Another thing I might want to add as one of our strengths would be the knowledge that our staff have now on how to utilize a reporting system, or how to recognize, or how to respond and work with our juveniles when they report that they've been assaulted.

- Our staff know how to respond if something is reported to them. They know where to go. They know resources.

- Having the knowledge and know-how to respond, prevent, detect sexual abuse and harassment.

- It's not only the staff but you're doing the vendors that are coming in, the volunteers. We have on-site schools teachers getting trained and the youth as well. And it was just a whole project and whole to get everybody under one thing to get all of the knowledge that we could pass on and share.

- The project over the last few years has been challenging. It's been rewarding. It's been difficult at times. We've had uphill battles. It's went smooth at times, but we've stuck with it.

- Advice that I'd like to give is that, you know it's a process. It takes time.

- We're a small community so a lot of us are deeply related. It's about healing our community because no matter what whether it's in a juvenile facility or adult facility they're still coming back to our community. They're still part of who we are. So we want to do the best job that we can to support anybody that has faced any kind of trauma or has been harmed by sexual assault.

- Throughout this whole project, I think it's been very healthy. It's been very helpful. I believe that we're moving into the 21st century with the PREA proactively.

- What made it worthwhile for me, was having youth come through the facility that has suffered past trauma and it has never been reported. Now it gets reported whether it was 10 years ago or a year ago, and a youth that comes through if it hasn't been reported, then it's going to get reported. And that youth will get justice for what has happened to them. On top of, we will also be able to provide them the resources through counseling, through White Buffalo Calf advocates, mental health, whatever it takes to get them to start that healing process.

- I'm going to share that song. And it says that the sun is my relative. The sun is my relative underneath it with this prayer, sacred prayer

- Sometimes things that we that we're supposed to practice traditionally are forgotten and PREA sometimes like in a way, it kind of reminds us you know, these things are inappropriate. They're not supposed to be happening. Whether it's inside a correctional facility or environment or outside, you know, on the streets in the home.

- I think a lot of people lose sight when somebody gets incarcerated. They lose their freedom and other privileges they have with it. But being able to protect them through PREA while they're in a detained setting. They don't have to lose that human right of being free from a sexual abuse or assault. That by itself knowing that you're gonna offer that protection to them is priceless.