Justice Systems

Operated the recertification process for auditors who were due to be recertified on December 31, 2024. This includes communicating with auditors on a regular basis, tracking completion of recertification requirements, and administering the recertification exam, in addition to coordinating with the PREA Management Office (PMO) to send status notices to auditors.

This cohort saw 80 eligible auditors select to either recertify (49) go or remain inactive (23), or fail to recertify (8). Three (3) are eligible to be reinstated through the Path Back to Certification Program.

The Path Back to Certification Program exists to allow auditors who failed the auditor recertification exam (and retake exam) another opportunity to maintain their certification following additional remedial coursework and another exam. This program had three (3) participants during the December 2024 session, two (2) of whom passed and had their recertification reinstated and two (2) failed either the exam or to complete the other requirements to be reinstated.

The National PREA Resource Center (PRC) executed the decertification process when decertification of an auditor was issued by DOJ. Nine (9) auditors were decertified due to a failure to complete recertification requirements and one (1) auditor voluntarily surrendered their certification between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024.

Portal Tech Support Requests can be submitted at any time via a form on the National PREA Resource Center (PRC) website. Over the 6 month period between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024, 130 such cases were submitted.

PRC staff member Teresa Stroud, along with Carmela Romero, the Associate Director of Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention, presented an in-person training at the National Symposium on Juvenile Services 2024. The National Symposium of Juvenile Services is made up of members from across the United States, primarily those providing services in county and state-run juvenile detention facilities. They hold an annual training symposium in various parts of the United States to provide training on topics impacting juvenile Justice.

The auditor feedback form is comprised of complaints submitted to the National PREA Resource Center (PRC) from various sources of information pertaining to PREA audits, i.e., victim advocates, corrections staff, PREA Coordinators etc. These complaints are reviewed regularly by the PRC, and BJA. Certain complaints are referred to PREA Management Office (PMO) for a more in depth review depending upon the nature of the complaint. Number of Auditor Feedback Form submissions received, reviewed, and referred to PMO between July - December 2024: 16

Subject matter experts at the PRC staff operate an Auditor Helpdesk designated for PREA auditors to ask questions about an audit, the audit process, the continuing education learning management system, or standards interpretation. Each PRC staff person who contributes is responsible for responding to queries on one or more days per week.
The PRC closed 30 helpline cases between July - January 2025.

The Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators (CJJA) is made up of executive staff leaders of most of the individual states in the US and territories. A PREA Committee meets bi-monthly and is attended by some executive leaders and primarily by state-level Juvenile PREA Coordinators for each state's juvenile justice agency. The National PREA Resource Center (PRC) arranges for speakers and presentations at these meetings based on content requests from the members.

The Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators (CJJA) is made up of executive staff leaders of most of the individual states in the US and territories. A PREA Committee meets bi-monthly and is attended by some executive leaders and primarily by state-level Juvenile PREA Coordinators for each state's juvenile justice agency. The National PREA Resource Center (PRC) arranges for speakers and presentations at these meetings based on content requests from the members.

CJI’s subrecipient, Southern University Center for Social Research (SUCSR), is collecting focus group data from participants and staff. Southern University conducted 15 staff interviews with a total of 63 participants. The group carried out 16 focus groups with program participants and 10 focus groups with community members. Southern University reports that all interviews have been transcribed, and the initial round of coding is nearly complete for the CIG interviews. In addition, Southern University reports that the initial code development process is underway for the RRC interviews.