Prison Rape Elimination Act

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was passed in 2003 with unanimous support from both parties in Congress. The purpose of the act was to provide for the analysis of the incidence and effects of prison rape in Federal, State, and local institutions and to provide information, resources, recommendations and funding to protect individuals from prison rape. (Prison Rape Elimination Act, 2003). In addition to creating a mandate for significant research from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and through the National Institute of Justice, funding through the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Institute of Corrections supported major efforts in many state correctional, juvenile detention, community corrections, and jail systems.

The act also created the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission and charged it with developing draft standards for the elimination of prison rape. Those standards were published in June 2009, and were turned over to the Department of Justice for review and passage as a final rule. That final rule became effective August 20, 2012. 

In 2010, the Bureau of Justice Assistance funded the National PREA Resource Center to continue to provide federally funded training and technical assistance to states and localities, as well as to serve as a single-stop resource for leading research and tools for all those in the field working to come into compliance with the federal standards. (PREA Resource Center)

NCORC can receive third party reports verbally, in writing or anonymously. If you would like to report an alleged sexual abuse, sexual assault or sexual harassment, please click on the reporting button.

NCORC has been audited pursuant to Section 115.401 of the PREA Standards in 2014, 2017 and 2020. On July 26, 2023, NCORC was once again audited pursuant to Section 115.401 of the PREA Standards. To view the PREA Audit Final Report clink on the audit report link below.