Advanced Topics Webinar Series on the Protections in the PREA Standards for LGBTI+ Individuals

The PREA Resource Center presents this three-part Advanced Topics Webinar Series on the Protections in the PREA Standards for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming (LGBTI+) people in custody. This series addresses all the requirements in the PREA Standards that specifically reference LGBTI+ people and provides guidance from corrections professionals and other experts who have worked through the challenges associated with these standards and implemented PREA compliant policies and practices.

Because these advanced webinars build on the Introductory Topics Webinar Series on the Protections in the PREA Standards for LGBTI+ Individuals, staff are strongly encouraged to watch that series first if they have not had equivalent training. This advanced series assumes knowledge based on the introductory series.

Although it is possible to watch each of these advanced webinars as a stand-alone, the PREA Resource Center recommends viewing all three of them in the order below.

The first webinar covers the requirement in the PREA Risk Screening Standards that agencies screen for sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression (SOGIE) (Standards 115.41, 115.141, 115.241, and 115.341). Participants hear from Ericka Sage, PREA Coordinator, and Amanda van Arcken, PREA Compliance Captain, Oregon Department of Corrections; Carmela Romero, Deputy Director of Administration, Youth Services Center, Bernalillo County, New Mexico; and Adrien Lawyer, Director of Education and Co-Founder, Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico. These experts share their experiences and provide advice regarding the development and implementation of PREA-compliant screening policies and practices related to gathering information about each person’s SOGIE.
The second webinar focuses on the requirement in the PREA Use of Screening Information Standards that agencies make a case-by-case determination regarding housing, bed, education, work, and program assignments for each transgender and intersex person, and the prohibition in these standards against placing LGBTI people in a dedicated facility, unit, or wing based solely on their LGBTI status (Standards 115.42, 115.242, and 115.342). Ericka Sage, Amanda van Arcken, Carmela Romero, and Adrien Lawyer again share their experiences and provide guidance regarding the successful implementation of PREA-compliance policies and practices.
The third webinar covers the requirement in the PREA Limits on Cross-Gender Viewing and Searches Standards that transgender and intersex people be searched in professional and respectful manner, and in the least intrusive manner possible, consistent with security needs (Standards 115.15, 115.115, 115.215, 115.315). This webinar also provides advice regarding the development of PREA-compliant policies for transgender and non-binary staff; highlights special considerations related to providing medical and mental health care to LGBTI people in custody; and includes promising practices for examining the role LGBTI identity might have played in an incident during Sexual Abuse Incident Reviews. Participants hear from U.S. Department of Justice-certified PREA auditors Maren Arbach, Melissa Rodriguez, and Tracy Hill. Each was responsible for successfully implementing the PREA Standards in their agency or facility prior to joining the PREA Resource Center to train auditor candidates and auditors.