Incarcerated Individuals

During this reporting period, the agency coach from JDI is pleased to report that the DOC and OYA are making progress on their individualized plans for coming into PREA compliance. Not only are they making progress on things like policy revisions, educational materials, and creating internal work groups, but they are each growing in their confidence around their jobs. This is especially important for the DYA PREA Coordinator.

During this reporting period, the second-year funds from the Great Lake Leadership Training were reallocated to host the Annual National PREA Coordinators Conference in Buffalo, NY in July 2024. The female curriculum and training execution is complete.

During this reporting period, the PREA education video was discussed and will be gender responsive and intended to comply with the DOJ settlement agreement at the female facility. The RFP is in procurement and a vendor cannot be identified until the RFP is released. Video scripting and purposes. Discussions were conducted with the group regarding the pros/cons of use of actual inmates and staff for videos. Suggestion by some staff to use former inmates, which would be less complicated. Staff will discuss with administration.

During this reporting period, the current PREA screening tool, instructions/procedures, and other related content was reviewed and revised. The agency requested guidance to develop an objective PREA risk assessment to determine the resident risk of victimization or abusiveness. PREA risk assessment instructions will be provided with the revised risk assessment tool. The team discussed numerical weightings for the risk screening tool.
TMG coaches met with the agency contacts for a coaching session on October 25, 2023.

During the reporting period, The FY2022 MOU was signed by the county and the funds were released in November 2023. As Broward has two other active site-based grants, activity was focused on those which were opened earlier. An Implementation plan is still needed for the FY 22 grant.

During this reporting period and despite some ongoing communication challenges, the Ohio DRC sites are on track to meet their goals. The previous report outlined some challenges staff at Oriana House were experiencing related to some of the details in their grant award. DRC staff have since been able to resolve these issues and Oriana House is progressing towards their goals. WORTH Center is similarly on track and has no further updates. Eastern Ohio Correctional Center remains difficult to connect with and unresponsive to email messages.

During this reporting period, the Utah JJYS has continued facilitating PREA ("SAVE") staff training using the newly developed curriculum. Staff feedback continues to be excellent. The JDI coach has been impressed by the thoughtful approach Utah JJYS has taken to the portions of the training related to working with LGBTI youth. The site recognizes the fraught political realities in their community and have been holding meaningful discussions with staff to ensure they are able to ask questions while also ensuring staff understand their responsibilities to keep LGBTI youth safe.

During this reporting period, the NYDCCS team reviewed the training videos and curriculum for the female facility. Some goals and strategies were significantly changed and/or new strategies were identified. A GAM may be required to reallocate funds. Delivery of Advocacy Training, and Cellebrite Training are pending. The delivery of Supportive Trauma-Informed Treatment Services for LGBTIQ+ Individuals with Community Providers is pending additional quotes from vendors. Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview (FETI) training was completed.

During this review period, the camera instillation work continued. The facility had an ACA audit and is preparing for a PREA audit. This is causing some delays in goal strategy completion. The PREA Coordinator reviewed images from the new cameras and was impressed with the quality. The staff are excited to have all cameras on one server to conduct investigations. The server is expected to have a 60-day memory. The PC is considering a longitudinal analysis to mark when cameras were activated and their effect on PREA investigation findings of unsubstantiated.

During this review period, the PREA policies and coordinated response were revised and reviewed by the co-coaches. Forms referenced in the policy were also reviewed and revised. Coaches provided guidance on developing a PREA risk screening tool and process. PREA pamphlets and signage was developed. The implementation plan goals will be revised and submitted after the on-site visit. The agency does not want to use funds on an evaluator since there is no formal PREA program at the agency. An NCE was submitted and approved.