PREA Law and Legal Definition
PREA is the abbreviation for Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. The Act addresses the problem of sexual abuse of persons in the custody of U.S. correctional agencies. PREA calls for Federal, State, and local corrections systems to have a zero-tolerance policy regarding prison rape in prisons, jails, police lock-ups, and other confinement facilities. The Act requires development of standards for detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment of prison rape. It standardizes collection and dissemination of information on the incidence of prison rape and awards grants to help State and local governments implement the Act's provisions. PREA created the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC), a bipartisan federal commission that is charged with carrying out a comprehensive study of sexual abuse in detention and with developing national standards addressing prisoner rape.
