CCA takes PREA training to the next level
As the Department of Justice prepares to formalize its standards pertaining to the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), CCA has taken proactive steps to remain on the forefront of this important issue.
This summer, coordinators and investigators from CCA’s Sexual Abuse Response Team (SART) gathered in Nashville, Tenn., where the company is headquartered, to participate in training devoted to this increasingly visible topic. More than 120 staff members from CCA facilities were briefed on the ever-evolving progress of the Department of Justice’s forthcoming final PREA standards.
After the Prison Rape Elimination Act was enacted in 2003, members of the national PREA Commission have developed best practices to detect, prevent, monitor and respond to sexual abuse and assault of incarcerated and detained individuals. CCA forges ahead in its work to provide training and strengthen a companywide culture that advances the prevailing goal of the PREA Commission: reducing the incidence of PREA violations, whether they are inmate-on-inmate or staff-on-inmate.
The three-day session also covered tactical training on issues ranging from crime scene investigation to cooperation with law enforcement agencies. Distinct emphasis was placed on victim support, particularly concerning special populations, such as transgendered inmates, and those identified as being exceptionally vulnerable due to mental or physical distinctions.
“It was a truly enlightening experience," says Steve Conry, CCA vice president, Operations, and chair of the CCA PREA Committee. "We learned as much from the field staff as they learned from us. CCA has always had a very strong commitment to eliminate the sexual abuse of inmates in our custody."
Throughout its history, CCA has sought to eliminate sexual abuse and ensure the safety and security of the inmates in their care. With regard to PREA specifically, CCA continues to provide proactive training, educational programs and informational campaigns. Constant emphasis is placed on CCA’s “zero-tolerance” approach to inmate sexual abuse.
The training provided SART coordinators and investigators with “a clearer understanding of what will be expected,” explains Cole Carter, CCA assistant general counsel. The participants made a commitment to share what they learned with fellow staff members at their facilities. In September 2011, CCA began a supplemental training program to provide continued education to SART staff at each facility.
Because of efforts and inroads such as these, CCA is well-positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges of intensifying PREA standards.
“At the end of this year, the DOJ is supposed to finalize and issue the actual PREA standards. In time, those standards will have the force of law,” Carter says. “It’s an important challenge, and it’s better that we remain ahead of the curve. Others have taken the position that they should wait and see what the DOJ’s final standards will be. We have taken the opposite approach, because we know that once the standards become binding, there will be an expectation that we meet every standard. I think we’re ready for that.”
CCA Source Fall 2011