Grant awards

BJA solicitation, “Implementing the PREA Standards, Protecting Inmates, and Safeguarding Communities"

Fiscal Year 2020

In 2020, as required by the PREA statute, BJA competitively awarded PREA grants to state, local, and tribal agencies to implement plans for creating and expanding “zero-tolerance” cultures for sexual abuse and sexual harassment, including comprehensive approaches to prevention, detection, and responses to incidents of sexual abuse, prioritizing unaddressed gaps either programmatically or through changes in policy and procedures, as they relate to implementation of the PREA standards.

 

Colorado Department of Corrections

The Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) will use project funds to pay for PREA audits and internal mock audits. CDOC will provide inmate educate on sexual safety through Blue Bench, a sexual assault prevention and support center, to women admitted to the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility. CDOC will install shower curtains, privacy screens, and other materials to maintain inmate privacy, in addition to purchasing cameras to deter and detect sexual abuse in facilities.

 

Georgia Department of Corrections

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) has three goals for this project: (1) create PREA resources for vulnerable inmates with accessibility issues (inmates who are hearing- or vision-impaired, have a mental health condition, or not English language proficient) per PREA Standard 115.116); (2) develop enhanced training videos for staff and educational videos for inmates that are consistent with GDC operations and PREA standards; and (3) conduct a thorough examination of current investigation processes and training to improve investigations.

 

Louisiana Department of Public Safety, Office of Juvenile Justice

The Louisiana Department of Public Safety, Office of Juvenile Justice’s (LAOJJ) project, "Sustaining PREA through Staffing Analysis: Louisiana’s Next Step toward Zero Tolerance," seeks to improve safety in its secure juvenile facilities by hiring an expert consultant to conduct an extensive staffing analysis. The consultant will produce a report that will advise LAOJJ on how to maintain PREA-compliant staffing ratios and sustain a comprehensive and detailed staffing plan. LAOJJ also plans to use funds for the development of a staffing-analysis training module and pilot a training for all staff who conduct staffing analysis.

 

Mississippi Department of Corrections

The Mississippi Department of Corrections’ project will improve security at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF) and South Mississippi Correctional Institution (SMCI) by utilizing a video surveillance system to reduce the likelihood of sexual assaults, physical assaults, and deaths within the facility.

 

Oregon Criminal Justice Commission

The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission (OCJC) proposes the use of federal funds to support its project, "Adults in Custody, Resident, and Employee Sexual Abuse and Retaliation Reporting; Training, Awareness, and Tracking.” The Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) and Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) will be subrecipients and will use funds to update PREA educational materials, as well as increase staff training and awareness regarding transgender and intersex residents. Additionally, ODOC will fund critical updates to its offender management systems to allow for tracking of incidents of sexual abuse and sexual harassment, retaliation monitoring, transgender and intersex inmate reviews, and screening for risk of victimization and aggressiveness. OYA will develop and streamline critical reporting mechanisms, such as an improved multi-lingual reporting hotline.

 

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is seeking funding to streamline and automate risk assessment screenings and other PREA reporting processes in TDCJ’s Safe Prisons/PREA Automated Network System (SPPANS) through the acquisition and utilization of tablets. SPPANS enhances PREA reporting processes by linking departmental databases, expediting review processes, and creating greater statistical analysis capabilities. Interviewers will be able to enter risk screening assessments directly into SPPANS through the tablet for instant viewing by appropriate classification staff members. Additionally, the tablets will allow for enhanced reporting and monitoring
capabilities.

 

Utah Department of Human Services, Division of Juvenile Justice Services

The Utah Department of Human Services, Division of Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) will use grant funds to (1) contract with experts to review current PREA policies and procedures and coach JJS leadership; (2) educate and train youth, staff, and contractors on PREA standards; (3) create printed and digital materials on PREA standards; and (4) create web-based PREA training for employees, volunteers, and
contractors.

 

Wisconsin Department of Corrections

Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WIDOC) will use federal funds to assign a dedicated PREA compliance manager to a cluster of four diverse facilities. The four selected facilities are geographically close and represent each of the agency’s facility types (i.e. reception, maximum, medium, and minimum). The PREA compliance manager will be responsible for chairing the county’s PREA sexual assault response team, piloting an inmate/peer-led education program, and developing a series of investigation refresher tools and educational programs for staff trained to investigate sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Finally, WIDOC will use grant funds to purchase additional video monitoring technology to supplement vulnerable physical plant spaces, which are currently monitored by staff supervision, locked doors, or controlled movement.

 

Bernalillo County

The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) will use federal funds to expedite facility improvements to promote a safer environment through the purchase of privacy aids (like shower curtains) and increased video surveillance. MDC will provide inmates with improved education and information on reporting, which will be accessible for Spanish- speaking and Limited English Proficient (LEP) populations and streamline contractor and volunteer PREA training. MDC will also use funds to identify specific MDC populations vulnerable to sexual abuse and improve data collection and management. Additionally, MDC will use funds to establish a PREA investigation team by partially covering the salary of one investigator.

 

Bexar County

Bexar County Sheriff’s Office’s (BCSO) project, “PREA Standards Implementation Program,” will use the results of a mock PREA audit conducted by a DOJ-certified PREA auditor in October 2018 to create a comprehensive plan for achieving compliance with PREA standards. BCSO’s identified needs include providing additional privacy through the creation of an inmate work program to produce shower curtains, as well as creating a new investigator position dedicated to completing all PREA-related investigations. Additionally, BCSO will use federal funds to hire an additional full-time PREA Compliance Officer to ensure that policies and practices are applied uniformly across all facilities.

 

Essex County Sheriff's Department

The Essex County Sheriff's Department (ECSD) will use federal funds to collaborate with its medical/mental health provider, WellPath, to strengthen its response to reported and unreported sexual assault of incarcerated individuals by addressing policy, training, and program implementation. ECSD will use funding to hire a master’s degree-level PREA Mental Health Clinician to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse and sexual harassment in our facilities. Additionally, this funding will allow correctional officers to attend Sexual Assault Investigation Training, offered through the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. Additional funds will be used to enhance inmate safety by installing cameras in blind spots.

 

Henderson County Fiscal Court

The Henderson County Detention Center (HCDC) will use the majority of federal funds to hire a PREA coordinator. HCDC will also use funds for PREA-related training, specifically regarding the sexual safety of transgender inmates. HCDC will work with its tablet-based GTL/Telmate system to provide resources and educational materials for inmates in regards to PREA and sexual safety.

 

City of Richmond Sheriff's Department

The City of Richmond Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) will use federal funds to focus on victim-centered service provisions, coupled with enhanced staff training on PREA standards and upgraded facility resources that meet or exceed PREA standards. RCSO intends to develop and implement a PREA- compliant staffing plan, designate a PREA Coordinator, implement a trauma-informed approach to mental healthcare and mental health screening, ensure all inmates receive information and education regarding PREA, and enter into agreements with victim advocacy and mental health agencies.

 

Tippecanoe County Government

The Tippecanoe County Government intends to use federal funds to increase sexual safety in its facility by creating internal and external teams to determine what policies, training, screening tools, and “visual improvements” are require for PREA compliance. Law enforcement officers, mental health providers, victim advocates, and prosecutors will comprise an external team. These teams will use policy guides and the DOJ-created Audit Compliance Tool (ACT) to achieve implementation. The agency will also use funds for the purchase of surveillance and body-worn cameras. Additionally, the agency will create a Memorandum of Understandings and provide financial assistance for Victim Advocates and SANE Nurses.

 

New Hampshire Department of Corrections

The New Hampshire Department of Corrections’ “PREA Improvement Project (DPIP)” will use federal funds to expand video surveillance, improve staff training, and improve inmate education on sexual safety and PREA standards. The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault has agreed to collaborate with the New Hampshire Department of Corrections to update the current PREA training programs to include comprehensive “trauma-informed” and “gender-based” curricula while assuring evidence-based practices are utilized. Additionally, specialized training will be provided to leadership and intake screening staff to improve inmate intake processes to secure and enhance the ability to identify those who are at risk of sexual victimization or have already been victimized.

 

Puerto Rico Department of Correction and Rehabilitation

The Puerto Rico Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DCRGPR) will provide training courses for staff in 29 correctional facilities and inmate education to 35 percent of the incarcerated population in a classroom setting. Training and education modules will be created in English and Spanish along with pamphlets, posters, and manuals.

 

Broward Sheriff's Office

The Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) will improve upon current PREA implementation by hiring a PREA Accountability Specialist, transforming an office in the current Investigations Unit into one focused on PREA with increased privacy and links to cameras in all four detention facilities. BSO will also send an increased number of staff to annual PREA training programs and produce a PREA educational video for inmates and new arrestees.

 

Carroll County

Carroll County will address strategies to promote and institutionalize new PREA policies; purchase preventive infrastructure and technology enhancements; improve inmate education; institutionalize victim support services; improve staff training on evidence, crime scene protection, and report documentation; and fund PREA audits.

 

County of Bucks

The County of Bucks will fund the “Bucks County PREA Implementation Plan.” The department seeks to hire additional staff members to focus time exclusively on PREA implementation, increase staff capacity in prevention techniques, integrate PREA standards in daily operations, and identify the need to have a valid risk assessment tool to assist in reducing sexual abuse and sexual harassment cases.

 

Somerset County Sheriff's Office — Corrections Division

The Somerset County Sheriff's Office will use project funds to update its facility's security surveillance system and begin the process of preparing for a PREA audit. Additionally, it will use funds to implement a facility-specific staffing plan, add different reporting mechanisms, establish an inmate education program, establish a partnership with an outside victim advocate group and counseling services, update staff training, and incorporate technology to improve PREA implementation efforts.

Fiscal Year 2019

In 2019, as required by the PREA statute, BJA competitively awarded PREA grants to state, local, and tribal agencies to implement plans for creating and expanding “zero-tolerance” cultures for sexual abuse and sexual harassment, including comprehensive approaches to prevention, detection, and responses to incidents of sexual abuse, prioritizing unaddressed gaps either programmatically or through changes in policy and procedures, as they relate to implementation of the PREA standards. Note that the PREA grant program was suspended in Fiscal Years 2016 through 2018 due to limited resources to carry out all of DOJ’s statutory obligations.  

 

Alabama Department of Corrections

The recipient will utilize funds to support the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC). Funds will be utilized to reduce sexual abuse in ADOC facilities by instilling a zero tolerance for sexual abuse culture through specialized training for first responders, providing PREA advocacy services, trauma informed care, inmate education, and conducting PREA audits. 

 

Montgomery County Commission

The recipient will utilize funds to support the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. Funds will be utilized to reduce sexual abuse in the Mac Sim Butler Detention Facility by instilling a zero tolerance for sexual abuse culture through implementing enhanced reporting mechanisms, developing a comprehensive plan to address deficiencies related to preventing, detecting, and responding to prison rape, and promoting integration of the PREA standards. 

 

Los Angeles County Probation Department

The recipient will utilize funds to support the Los Angeles County Probation Department. Funds will be utilized to reduce sexual abuse in juvenile facilities by instilling a zero tolerance for sexual abuse culture through the development of a comprehensive PREA education program for juvenile residents and specialized staff training.

 

Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

The recipient will utilize funds to support the District of Columbia Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS). Funds will be utilized to reduce sexual abuse in DYRS facilities by instilling a zero tolerance for sexual abuse culture through specialized counseling and victim advocacy training, providing PREA resources for the hearing impaired, and conducting PREA audits. 

 

County of Escambia Board of County Commissioners

The recipient will utilize funds to support Escambia County Corrections (ECC). Funds will be utilized to reduce sexual abuse in ECC facilities by instilling a zero tolerance for sexual abuse culture through implementing facility specific staffing plans, staff training, improved surveillance, inmate education, and developing a comprehensive plan to address deficiencies related to preventing, detecting, and responding to prison rape. 

 

Michigan Department of Corrections

The recipient will use funds to develop innovative sexual abuse prevention and response programs aimed at protecting inmates who are exceptionally vulnerable to victimization. The goal of this program is to develop promising practices to include a model approach to addressing sexual abuse in facilities with inmates with serious mental illness; a series of training curricula aimed at building staff capacity for working with inmates at high risk of sexual abuse; and model policies for protecting the safety and dignity of transgender inmates.

 

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

The recipient will utilize funds to support the Cherokee Indian Police Department Detention Center. Funds will be utilized to reduce sexual abuse in the detention center by instilling a zero tolerance for sexual abuse culture through development of a PREA education program, staff training, capacity-building strategies, and developing a comprehensive plan to address deficiencies related to preventing, detecting, and responding to prison rape.

 

New Jersey Department of Corrections

The recipient's project design is focused on utilizing findings from the NRRC"s "Strengthening Correctional Culture: Eight Ways Corrections Leaders Can Support Their Staff to Reduce Recidivism" and applying these strategies to PREA implementation. The funds will be used to conduct a "root-to-stem" holistic approach to staff training, including assess current organizational culture, update staff training, and implement the eight recommendations to implement culture change. Additionally, the recipient will designate staff to track allegations and related data to identify issues when they arise.

 

Nevada Division of Child and Family Services

The recipient will utilize funds to support the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). Funds will be utilized to reduce sexual abuse in DCFS facilities by instilling a zero tolerance for sexual abuse culture through enhanced accountability processes, improved risk assessment tools, PREA education for residents, electronic case management, and specialized investigative training.

 

New York City Department of Corrections

The recipient will use funds to create "Tools for Trauma," to focus on mitigating the negative effects of trauma and vicarious trauma on corrections staff and implementing more trauma-informed policies, procedures, and programming across the agency. The project will fund a trauma expert contractor to provide a gap analysis of current policies and procedures and will deliver trauma-focused training to selected staff. Funding will also be used to streamline the PREA investigations process.

 

South Carolina Department of Corrections

The recipient will utilize funds to support the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC). Funds will be utilized to reduce sexual abuse in SCDC facilities by instilling a zero-tolerance-for-sexual abuse culture through improved engagement of offenders, training of staff, capacity-building strategies, improved surveillance, and enhanced accountability processes. 

 

The County of King, Washington 

The grant recipient's project will focus on a newly constructed juvenile detention center, the Children and Family Justice Center (CFJC). The CFJC is a less than 500 bed facility that will begin operating in October 2019. This project will focus on Standard 115.313 Supervision and Monitoring and will include the development of a revised staffing plan and a marketing strategy and communication tools to recruit appropriate juvenile detention officers. Strategies include meeting with other juvenile facilities and professional organizations, such as the Council of Juvenile Correctional Facilities, and attending recruiting events.

 

West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation 

The grant recipient will use funds to promote a unified culture of sexual safety across multiple types of facilities (prisons, jails, and juvenile), which were recently unified into one system. The funds will also be used to build a trauma-informed response to sexual abuse, including the provision of victim services, and increase accountability by strengthening investigations and working with state police and county prosecutors. Strategies will include policy review, staff training, and mobilization of outside partners.

Fiscal Year 2015

In 2015, BJA awarded grants to 14 correctional jurisdictions to implement their plans for creating “zero-tolerance” cultures for sexual abuse, including comprehensive approaches to prevention, detection, and responses to incidents of sexual abuse, prioritizing unaddressed gaps either programmatically or through changes in policy and procedures, as they relate to implementation of the PREA standards. 

Fiscal Year 2014

In 2014, BJA awarded grants to 22 correctional jurisdictions to implement their plans for creating “zero-tolerance” cultures for sexual abuse, including comprehensive approaches to prevention, detection, and responses to incidents of sexual abuse, prioritizing unaddressed gaps either programmatically or through changes in policy and procedures, as they relate to implementation of the PREA standards. 
 

Fiscal Year 2013

In 2013, BJA awarded grants to 18 correctional jurisdictions to implement their plans for creating zero-tolerance cultures for sexual abuse, including comprehensive approaches to prevention and detection, and responses to incidents of sexual abuse.

These sites are:

Fiscal Year 2012

In 2012, BJA awarded grants to 12 correctional jurisdictions to implement their plans for creating “zero-tolerance” cultures for sexual abuse, including comprehensive approaches to prevention and detection, and responses to incidents of sexual abuse. These 12 grants were provided to the jurisdictions via a state agency grantee:

Grantee/state government agency: California Emergency Management Agency
Implementing agency: City of Los Angeles Police Department

Grantee: Colorado Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice, Office of Adult and Juvenile Justice Assistance
Implementing agencies: Pitkin County Jail and Lincoln County Jail

Grantee: District of Columbia Office of Victims Services
Implementing agency: District of Columbia Department of Corrections

Grantee: Indiana Department of Correction
Implementing agency: the implementing agencies for this grant will be 24 locally operated work release facilities:

Grantee: Kentucky Department of Corrections
Implementing agency: Louisville Metro DOC

Grantee: Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice
Implementing agency: Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice

Grantee: Middlesex Sheriff’s Office
Implementing agency: Middlesex Sheriff’s Office

Grantee: New Mexico Department of Public Safety
Implementing agency: Bernalillo County, New Mexico Metropolitan Detention Center

Grantee: New York State Division of Criminal Justice
Implementing agency: New York City Department of Correction

Grantee: New York State Office of Children & Family Services
Implementing agencies: Horizon Juvenile Justice Center and Crossroads Juvenile Justice Center

Grantee: Washington Department of Commerce
Implementing agency: Clallam County, Washington Sheriff’s Office

Grantee: Wisconsin Department of Corrections
Implementing agencies:

Fiscal Year 2011

In 2011, BJA awarded grants to 18 correctional agencies to implement their plans for creating “zero-tolerance” cultures for sexual abuse, including comprehensive approaches to prevention and detection, and responses to incidents of sexual abuse.

Targeted Implementation Planning and Support program

Fiscal Year 2018

The PREA Targeted Implementation Planning and Support (TIPS) program is a federal funding opportunity specifically for locally operated small-to-medium-sized jails, juvenile facilities, community confinement facilities, lockups, and tribal facilities that are seeking to become sexually safer environments through compliance with the federal PREA Standards.

The PREA TIPS program has provided grants to the following sites: