Webinars

During this webinar, we covered PREA Standard 115.22: Policies to ensure referrals of allegations for investigations. We encourage you to invite your colleagues to view the discussion and use it as an opportunity for ongoing education.

This month's presenter was Marion Morgan, PRC Associate Director, who is responsible for training and certification of Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) auditors, staffing the PRC hotline for certified PREA auditors, and responding to questions from the field related to interpretation and implementation of the PREA standards. Ms. Morgan is also the Program Manager for the certified PREA auditor Field Training Program (FTP). Marion’s background spans many facets in the corrections field: Former PREA director for the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WI DOC) from April 2011 until January 2014 and she also served for 30 years as a police officer and detective with the Madison Police Department investigating intimate partner crimes including stalking, strangulation, all forms of sexual assault/domestic abuse crimes, and homicides. 

The PRC is happy to announce the release of new resources for auditors and agencies to include four sets of Document Review Worksheets. These resources were created for the Field Training Program and recently revised for broader use by auditors and agencies/facilities. The worksheets will aid a facility in the identification and collection of the proof documentation an auditor needs to audit the standards and will assist an auditor in the review of that proof documentation.

On 10/28/2021, the PRC hosted a live 90-minute webinar to introduce and share these resources with auditors and agencies/facilities. During the webinar, speakers showcased the worksheets with explanations of how both auditors and facility staff can utilize the resources to aid in their audit preparation.

During this webinar, we covered PREA Standard 115.18: Upgrades to facilities and technology. We encourage you to invite your colleagues to view this discussion and use it as an opportunity for ongoing education.

During this final 90-minute session, Professor Smith answered live and pre-submitted questions covering all three parts in the PREA Litigation webinar series.

The PRC is proud to announce the PREA legal landscape webinar series with Professor Brenda V. Smith of Smith Consulting, former commissioner for the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. The third and final webinar in the series examined the criminal prosecution of perpetrators of sexual abuse of victims in custody. This webinar also explored the following questions: What investigation processes and evidence collection have led to prosecution and conviction of staff and incarcerated perpetrators? What roles do PREA training and education play in the detection and prosecution of these perpetrators? What are some best practices in working with prosecutors and law enforcement when agencies refer cases for prosecution?

In response to the ongoing need to provide innovative and informative resources to support PREA implementation, the PRC, in partnership with Just Detention International (JDI), has released peer education resources to enhance existing efforts for inmate and resident education. The PRC hosted a webinar to highlight and discuss these new resources.

In this webinar — supplementing the three-part PREA webinar series hosted by the PRC and the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) — Just Detention International (JDI) joined the PRC and IAFN experts to share case study examples relating to the provision of medical forensic exams for incarcerated survivors. Drawing from key issues explored in the previous three-part series, as well as participant feedback, these case study examples illustrated some of the foremost challenges to delivering care and collecting evidence in the aftermath of sexual abuse. Specifically, the speakers highlighted the appropriate activation and response process for accessing the medical forensic examination; how to maintain effective communication throughout the response process; considerations for the medical forensic exam; and post-assault care for incarcerated survivors — all through the lens of pertinent PREA Standards.

The PRC is proud to announce the PREA legal landscape webinar series with Professor Brenda V. Smith of Smith Consulting, former commissioner for the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. The second webinar in the series examined PREA in the challenging contexts of collective bargaining, disciplinary procedures, discrimination claims, and anti-fraternization policies during and after employment. Court and administrative decisions were also used to  illuminate the discussion.

The PRC is proud to announce the PREA legal landscape webinar series with Professor Brenda V. Smith of Smith Consulting, former commissioner for the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. The first webinar in the series examined how PREA has affected prisoner litigation regarding sexual assault in custody, whether it has affected the limitations imposed by Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), and how the courts are interpreting and applying violations of PREA in its decisions.

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the fiscal year 2021 site-based grant program, entitled Implementing the PREA Standards, Protecting Inmates, and Safeguarding Communities. The purpose of this program is to assist confinement facilities and the agencies that oversee them in implementing prevention, identification, and response mechanisms that reduce the incidence of sexual abuse in these facilities, and to promote compliance with the PREA Standards.