Standards for the Prevention, Detection, Response and Monitoring of Sexual Abuse in Community Corrections

• NCJ Number: 226683
• Date Published: June 2009
• Length: 86 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Guideline

Annotation

Subject to review and approval by the Attorney General of the United States, this report by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission presents standards for the prevention, detection, response, and monitoring of sexual abuse in community corrections.

Abstract

The standards are presented under four categories that address prevention and response planning, prevention, detection and response, and monitoring. Following standards for prevention planning and response planning, standards for prevention are presented under the topics of training and education, along with screening for risk of sexual victimization and abusiveness. Standards for detection and response pertain to reporting, official response following a defendant/offender report, investigations, discipline, and medical and mental health care. Standards for monitoring focus on data collection and review as well as audits. Each standard statement contains mandatory requirements. A check box precedes each standard, indicating whether the standard requirement applies to community corrections facilities, pretrial, probation, and parole agencies, or both. Under each standard statement is an assessment checklist. The assessment checklist is a tool for agencies and facilities to use in self-assessments and in tracking their progress toward meeting the standards. Following the assessment checklist, the rationale for the standard is explained, and guidance is offered for achieving compliance with it. The appendixes provide information on responsibilities of forensic medical examiners, training topics and procedures, incident-based data collection, the Commission's expert committee members, and standards implementation needs assessment. Upon approval by the Attorney General, the Federal Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 requires agencies to comply with these standards.