PREA for Local Law Enforcement

The Colorado Jails PREA Demonstration Project, funded through a grant from the federal  Bureau of Justice Assistance, aimed to develop model programs for addressing sexual abuse in small, rural jails, and to share those programs with jail leaders statewide. The project partners included the Pitkin County Jail in Aspen, the Lincoln County Jail in Hugo, and Just Detention International, a health and human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention. Following this BJA-funded project, a state-funded Justice Assistance Grant was awarded to the County Sheriffs of Colorado (CSOC) to develop and pilot PREA training specifically for small jails. 

The project’s primary goals were to develop policies, staff training, inmate education, and coordinated response protocols that comply with the Department of Justice’s national Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards with a focus on being responsive to the particular needs and challenges of small jails.

The project partners have created the following materials to assist other jurisdictions in addressing sexual abuse in their facilities:

PREA Policy Template for Small Jails
PREA Volunteer and Contractor Training Template for Small Jails
Colorado Jail Association PREA Survey Results
PREA Staffing Plan Template for Small Jails
Pitkin County Sample Staffing Plan
Lincoln County Sample Staffing Plan
PREA Standards Requirements for Jails and Prisons Regarding Agreements with Outside Agencies
Sexual Assault Response Team Evaluation Form Template 
Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights
PREA Coordinated Response Protocol Template for Small Jails
PREA Brochure Template in Spanish

The following training modules were piloted with Colorado jail staff in May 2015.  They are updated based on feedback from participants, and are downloadable and available for public use.

PREA Jail Staff Training Template

For more information: