The PREA Management Office operates under a statutory obligation to evaluate all PREA auditors for compliance with the Auditor Certification Agreement, the PREA Auditor Handbook, the DOJ Audit Instrument, and to take remedial or disciplinary action where necessary. See 34 U.S.C. § 30307(e)(8)(A)(iii). To fulfill its obligation to evaluate an auditor’s performance, the PREA Management Office, through the PREA Audit Oversight Program, monitors and reviews the work of DOJ-certified PREA auditors, with the goal of ensuring the high quality and integrity of PREA audits.

Auditors who fail to follow their certification requirements are subject to remedial or disciplinary action, up to and including suspension or decertification. Full details regarding the PREA Audit Oversight Program are provided in the PREA Auditor Handbook.

Once certified by DOJ, the names of PREA auditors, including their certification date and certification type, are made publicly available on a searchable database located on the PREA Resource Center website. Agencies and facilities seeking an auditor, as well as DOJ-certified PREA auditors seeking audit support staff, are able to search the database for auditors. 

To be certified as a PREA auditor, auditor candidates must meet minimum experience requirements; submit a complete and accurate application; and successfully complete all training requirements, including:

• Attendance and full participation in the PREA Auditor Candidate Training and Field Training Program
• Completion of and achieving a passing score on pre- and post-training examinations
• Passing a criminal records background check
• Signing the Auditor Certification Agreement
• Completion of all probationary certification status requirements 

The full PREA auditor certification and training process and requirements are detailed in the PREA Auditor Handbook.

Many elements of the audit assignment system, such as training and oversight of auditors, are ongoing. With regard to the final two elements of the audit assignment system—the audit initiation rules and public availability of information about each audit—the PREA Management Office will implement these elements in June of 2022, according to the timeline below. 

The PREA Management Office may amend the audit assignment system in the future based on changes to existing capacity, statutory obligations, and available resources. Any changes to the audit assignment system will be communicated in a timely fashion to all stakeholders.

Once the Audit Initiation Form is approved, information about the audit will be posted to the PREA Resource Center website so that corrections practitioners, advocates, families of incarcerated individuals, and other members of the public can view a list of upcoming audits. The website will include details about each audit, including the assigned auditor, facility and agency information, scheduled onsite audit dates, and a copy of the final PREA audit report once completed. A link will be provided so that interested stakeholders can contact the auditor directly to provide information about relevant conditions at the facility. 

The website will also include a link to the Auditor Feedback Form so that stakeholders can submit information regarding an assigned auditor to the PREA Management Office. In the event that the PREA Management Office receives credible allegations that an auditor violated his or her auditor certification requirements in the course of an audit, the PREA Management Office may take appropriate disciplinary action against the auditor, up to and including suspension or decertification, as described in the PREA Auditor Handbook. In cases where disciplinary action is taken against an auditor, depending on when the complaint is received and the timing of the audit, the PREA Management Office may notify the agency/facility so that it may identify a different auditor to conduct the audit, if warranted.