PRISON RAPE ELIMINATION ACT

On September 4,2003, the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was signed into law and became the first federal law to address the sexual abuse and harassment of incarcerated individuals. The law mandates that states adopt a "Zero Tolerance" for all forms of offender sexual abuse and harassment and that each state make prevention of offender sexual abuse and harassment a top priority.

Every incarcerated individual has the right to be free from sexual abuse and harassment. In accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act, the Howell County Sheriff’s Office has a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of offender sexual abuse and harassment. The Sheriff’s Office will investigate all allegations and actively seek prosecution when a perpetrator is identified.

Sexual abuse is defined as any type of unwanted sexual contact. When sexual contact is accomplished through fear, threat or implied threat, it is considered sexual abuse. Staff-on-Offender sexual misconduct will not be tolerated. It is against state law for a staff member, contractor or volunteer, to engage in any type of sexual behavior with an offender.

The Sheriff’s Office has taken various steps to stop sexual abuse and harassment, including increasing the number of security cameras, providing the offender population with multiple ways to report offender sexual abuse, training our staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of sexual abuse, and educating the offender population on how to avoid and report sexual abuse.

The Sheriff’s Office takes the safety of incarcerated offenders very seriously and ensures that everyone that lives or works within our facilities understands the signs and symptoms of offender sexual abuse and how to report allegations of abuse.

Offenders incarcerated in a Sheriff’s Office Adult Detention Center are encouraged to report offender sexual abuse immediately. Offenders are provided a number of ways to report abuse that includes anonymous reports via the PREA hotline, reporting to a trusted staff member, or writing to the Sheriff.

In accordance with Sheriff’s Office’s Offender Sexual Abuse and Harassment Policy, staff having knowledge of offender-on-offender or staff-on-offender sexual abuse must report immediately to the shift supervisor while keeping the victim safe.