Please note that Standards referenced throughout this FAQ often apply to multiple sets of PREA Standards. Along with different standard numbers, the different sets of standards use different terminology to refer to the population they house including “inmate,” “detainee,” and “resident.” When referencing a standard that applies equally to all facilities covered under PREA, the language in the question and answer will, unless specified, refer to the Adult Prisons & Jails standard numbers and use the term “inmate” to refer generally to the populations in those facilities. The FAQ search functionality uses the standard numbering from the Adult Prisons and Jails, regardless of the specific setting. When a standard is selected, the search will identify all FAQs related to that standard across all standard settings.
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What constitutes “overnight” for purposes of PREA Standard 115.193, which states that “[a]udits need not be conducted of individual lockups that are not utilized to house detainees overnight?”
As a general matter, the term “overnight” is construed as a period of seven or more continuous hours between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. In situations where the facility has only a remote chance of meeting the above time period threshold, or does so only in rare circumstances (less than one time per month on average), the facility will not be considered “overnight.”