PREA Resources
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
On September 4, 2003, President Bush signed the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) into law. As a part of the law, Congress charged the National Institute of Corrections with a variety of tasks to assist the field of corrections. Included among these are the provision of training and education about the law and the issue which prompted its passage.
A key element of providing this assistance is to build our relevant knowledge about sexual assault in correctional institutions. While it is important to identify and hear from various experts, it is equally important to understand the issue from the perspective of correctional staff. To begin collecting input and information the decision was made early in NIC’s PREA Initiative to conduct a series of focus groups at several facilities around the country.
Achieving a regional balance, NIC identified and worked with a variety of prisons and jails, both large and small. Focus groups were conducted with facility executive staff, mid-managers, line officers, and administrative and support staff who perform an array of functions. The participants responded to several questions regarding the problems they encounter in preventing or responding to an incident, and described any successes their agencies had addressing the issue. Questions regarding the dynamics explored what the participants knew generally about sexual assault, plus what procedures had been put in place and what training had been received. These discussions yielded a rich source of information directly from the field about attitudes, knowledge, and current practices.
Staff Perspectives on Sexual Violence in Adult Prisons and Jails: Trends from Focus Group Interviews is an overview of this work and the first volume in a series of bulletins. In addition to key findings, it presents staffviews on policy and training, inmate culture, causesand conditions, assault indicators, characteristicsof victims and perpetrators, inmate orientation, investigations and prosecutions, and issues regarding responding to sexual violence. It is hoped that these ideas and recommendations will assist you and your agency as you develop strategies to address the problem of sexual violence in correctional institutions.
~ Morris L. Thigpen, Sr.
This informational video discusses the elements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003 and the critical issues facing administrators.
This video examines effective strategies for preventing sexual assault and misconduct in both male and female correctional settings.
These videos provide new male and female inmates with information related to the prevention of unwanted relationships with other inmates or any personal relationships with staff. Topics discussed include: the law and institutional policy; what to watch out for-prevention; and what you can do—reporting and investigation. The videos are available in English and Spanish.
This video examines effective strategies for preventing sexual assault and misconduct in both male and female juvenile correctional settings. Topics include: locations of assault, consequences, approaches, statistics, prevention and reduction, youth issues, prosecution, outcomes, and action points.
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is a small agency within the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Institute is headed by a director appointed by the U.S. Attorney General. An advisory board, consisting of 10 appointed members and 6 ex officio members, established by the enabling legislation (Public Law 93-415) provides policy direction to the Institute.
We provide training, technical assistance, information services, and policy/program development assistance to federal, state, and local corrections agencies. Through cooperative agreements, we award funds to support our program initiatives. We also provide leadership to influence correctional policies, practices, and operations nationwide in areas of emerging interest and concern to correctional executives and practitioners as well as public policymakers.
In September 1971, a major riot at New York's Attica prison focused national attention
on corrections and the practice of imprisonment in the United States. In response
to public concern and recognizing the problems in corrections facilities and programs
at the State and local levels, Attorney General John N. Mitchell convened a National
Conference on Corrections in Williamsburg, Virginia, in December 1971.
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, in his keynote address before the 450 conference
participants, expressed support for the establishment of a national training academy
for corrections. The training academy would:
"The National Institute of Corrections is a leader in contributing to a just and humane society."
"The National Institute of Corrections is a center of learning, innovation
and leadership that shapes and advances effective correctional practice and public
policy."
Strategic Goals
Goal I: To advance the field of corrections.
Goal II: To ensure NIC creates and sustains internal excellence
and organizational learning and creates the highest customer value.
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is administered by a Director appointed by the U.S. Attorney General. A 16-member Advisory Board provides policy direction to the Institute. The Institute has a core staff of 51, augmented by experienced corrections specialists on loan for 2-year periods from state and local governments and others assigned from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
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