​Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) | Department of Human Services | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Juvenile Justice Services
​Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA, P.L. 108-79) was enacted by Congress to address the problem of sexual abuse of persons in the custody of correctional agencies throughout the country.
PREA applies to all public and private institutions that house adult or juvenile offenders and is also relevant to community-based agencies.
It addresses both inmate-on-inmate sexual abuse and staff sexual misconduct. The major provisions of PREA include:
Adherence to a zero-tolerance standard for the incidence of inmate sexual assault and rape;
Development of standards for detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment of prison rape;
Collection and dissemination of information on the incidence of prison rape; and
Award of grant funds to help state and local governments implement the purposes of the Act.
Although the Act was legislated in 2003, the National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape were not published in the Federal Register until June 20, 2012. These standards are applicable to adult prisons and jails, lockups, community confinement facilities, and juvenile facilities. A juvenile facility is defined as a facility primarily used for the confinement of juveniles pursuant to the juvenile justice system or criminal justice system.
A large part of the act is devoted to creating a culture of zero-tolerance towards sexual abuse and sexual harassment. The Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services (BJJS) strives to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents committed to our facilities. As such, the BJJS has zero-tolerance of sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment against any resident in its custody. Anyone who suspects a resident at a BJJS facility is being sexually abused or sexually harassed is urged to contact ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313. There, you will be able to make a confidential report to authorities who will ensure an investigation occurs.
In order to demonstrate compliance with the Act, all BJJS facilities must be audited once during each 3-year audit cycle. The results of these audits will be published on this website for public review.
Contact BJJS
Any questions or concerns regarding the PREA at BJJS facilities should be directed to:
Bureau of Juvenile Justice PREA Coordinator
Phone:
717-787-9532
PREA Audit Reports
Previous PREA Audit Reports can be obtained by contacting BJJS by calling
717-787-9532
BJJS Documents
​Document No.
​Title
​Date
​28 C.F.R. Part 115
Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Juvenile Facility Standards
​May 17, 2012
​Program Managment 1.14
Zero Tolerance of Sexual Abuse or Sexual Harassment
​Aug. 20, 2013
​​Program Managment 1.06B
Reporting and Investigating Alleged Child or Resident Abuse, Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment
​March 18, 2013
​​Program Managment 1.09B
Management of Investigations
​March 4, 2013
​​Program Managment 4.05
​Response to Reports of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment
​May 1, 2013
​​Program Managment 1.26A
​Transitional Services
​March 18, 2013
BJJS Reports
BJJS PREA Annual Report
View the 2025 BJJS PREA Annual Report
2024 BJJS PREA Annual Report
2023 BJJS PREA Annual Report
2022 BJJS PREA Annual Report
2021 BJJS PREA Annual Report
2020 BJJS PREA Annual Report
2019 BJJS PREA Annual Report
2018 BJJS PREA Annual Report
U.S. Department of Justice Statistics Reports
View the 2024 Bureau of Justice Statistics Report
2023 Bureau of Justice Statistics Report
2022 Bureau of Justice Statistics Report
2021 Bureau of Justice Statistics Report
2020 Bureau of Justice Statistics Report
2019 Bureau of Justice Statistics Report
2018 Bureau of Justice Statistics Report
2017 Bureau of Justice Statistics Report
BJJS PREA Audit Reports
Loysville Youth Development Center Final Audit Report — 2023
Loysville Youth Development Center Final Audit Report — 2020
Loysville Youth Development Center Final Audit Report — 2017
North Central Secure Treatment Unit Final Audit Report — 2025
North Central Secure Treatment Unit Final Audit Report — 2022
North Central Secure Treatment Unit Final Audit Report — 2019
North East Secure Treatment Unit Final Audity Report — 2024
South Mountain Treatment Unit Final Audit Report — 2024
South Mountain Treatment Unit Final Audit Report — 2021
South Mountain Treatment Unit Final Audit Report — 2018
Western Treatment Unit Final Audit Report — 2025
Youth Forestry Camp 2 Final Audit Report — 2020
Youth Forestry Camp 2 Final Audit Report — 2017
Youth Forestry Camp 3 Final Audit Report — 2026
Youth Forestry Camp 3 Final Audit Report — 2023
Youth Forestry Camp 3 Final Audit Report — 2021
Youth Forestry Camp 3 Final Audit Report — 2018
Cresson Secure Treatment Unit PREA Final Audit Report — 2014
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), which is in part comprised of the Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.