Delivering PREA to People with Disabilities

This educational poster uses accessible design, plain language, icons, and social stories to ensure that all people in custody, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities are able to understand their right to be free from sexual abuse and how to report and get help if they experience abuse. This poster is designed to be printed on 11 x 17 paper and is customizable. Each version contains highlighted sections where facilities can insert specific phone numbers, locations, and addresses. There is a placeholder box in the bottom right corner of each version where facilities can insert their logo. Activating Change created four versions of this poster to enable facilities to use and print whichever version is most relevant and cost-effective for them: 1) a color version with an external reporting option via mail; 2) a black and white version with an external reporting option via mail; 3) a color version with a phone number for external reporting; and 4) a black and white version with a phone number for external reporting.

• Poster with mail external reporting option:
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• Poster with phone number for external reporting:
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  • Color

This resource explains what intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are, describes common behaviors of people who have these disabilities, and provides guidance and examples for communicating effectively and professionally with people in custody who have IDD. Activating Change has created a color version and a black and white version, so facilities may use and print whichever version is most convenient and cost-effective for them.

• Tip Sheet:
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1. PREA and Access Considerations for People who are Blind or Low Vision

In this webinar, Allison Hastings from Activating Change provides an overview of disability, incarceration, and sexual victimization and discusses people who are blind or have low vision and the barriers and risks they face inside. She offers practical strategies that facilities can use to make PREA information and reporting accessible to people who are blind or have low vision, in accordance with the requirements of Standard §115.16.
 

2. PREA and Access Considerations for Autistic People and People on the Autism Spectrum

Autistic people and people on the autism spectrum who are in custody often experience environmental, sensory, and communication barriers that can threaten their safety. In this webinar, Allison Hastings from Activating Change provides an overview of disability, incarceration, and sexual victimization and discusses access considerations that can increase sexual safety for autistic people in custody. She offers practical strategies that facilities can use to make PREA-related prevention and response functions more accessible to autistic people in custody, in accordance with the requirements of Standard §115.16.
 

3. PREA and Access Considerations for those with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who are in custody often experience information and communication barriers that can threaten their safety. In this webinar, Allison Hastings from Activating Change provides an overview of disability, incarceration, and sexual victimization and discusses access considerations that can increase sexual safety for people with IDD in custody. She offers practical strategies that facilities can use to make PREA-related prevention and response functions more accessible to people with IDD in custody, in accordance with the requirements of Standard §115.16. 

Guide

This guide, produced by the Vera Institute of Justice, describes what language access is and why it matters, and provides concrete steps for how correctional agencies can craft language access plans and engage interpreters and translators that are consistent with requirements in the National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape (often called the “PREA Standards”).

• Developing a PREA-Compliant Language Access Plan for Incarcerated People Who Are Limited English Proficient 

Webinar

The Center on Victimization and Safety at the Vera Institute of Justice, in collaboration with the PREA Resource Center (PRC), presented a webinar to introduce a new resource on how to make PREA information and services accessible to incarcerated people who are limited English proficient. During this webinar, presenters Allison Hastings and Jannette Brickman from Vera discussed the PREA requirements, provided an overview of language access and why it matters, and walked participants through the steps in the new guide for creating PREA-compliant language access plans. 

Guide

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) sets standards to ensure that information about PREA and victim services are accessible to people with disabilities. The purpose of this guide is to provide strategies to correctional agencies that will aid their compliance with these PREA requirements. The strategies discussed in this guide draw on established practices used by victim service organizations—both community-based and those based in government agencies—to make their services more accessible for this population. By offering concrete recommendations on how to adapt these community practices to correctional settings, this guide aims to help adult and juvenile correctional facilities increase accessibility for people with disabilities. While it is not a focus of this guide, an important component to making PREA and victim services accessible for people with disabilities is to institutionalize any new practices or partnerships in facility policy.

• Making PREA and victim services  accessible for incarcerated people with disabilities: An implementation guide for practitioners on the adult and juvenile standards

Webinar

The Vera Institute of Justice, in collaboration with the National PREA Resource Center, presents a webinar to introduce a resource on how to make PREA information and victim services accessible for incarcerated adults and juveniles with disabilities. Presenters will discuss the PREA requirements, provide foundational information on disabilities, and walk participants through a new implementation guide that provides practical, low-cost strategies for adult and juvenile facilities on how to increase accessibility to PREA information and victim services.

PREA Standards in Focus is a feature designed to provide a quick synopsis of a PREA standard, the intent and purpose, implementation tips, challenges, and a few audit issues related to the standard to assist in further awareness and education. FAQs and resources are directly linked to provide ease of access and bundle in one place.

Note: Standards in Focus (SIFs) are not intended for use by the Department of Justice-certified PREA auditors to evaluate PREA compliance. SIFs are a tool designed to help agencies and facilities implement, educate, and become familiar with the PREA standards and some related best practices, but are not a compliance checklist. They contain guidance about implementation best practices that may not be required and thus it would not be appropriate for auditors to audit against the SIF. SIFs also do not exhaust implementation guidance for every requirement in every standard.

• PREA Standard in Focus 115.16

During this webinar, we cover PREA Standard 115.16 Inmates, detainees, and residents with disabilities and inmates, detainees, and residents who are limited English proficient. The purpose of this standard is to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse of all inmates by ensuring that all inmates, including those who have disabilities, are Deaf, or who are limited English proficient, have equal access to PREA-related educational materials and departmental policies, reporting mechanisms, and available victim services. Reporting mechanisms and victim services are meaningless if inmates do not know about them or cannot access them. 

Our featured presenter is Allison Hastings, Project Director (Vera Institute of Justice).