PREA:

The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) was enacted by congress to address the pervasive and on-going epidemic of sexual abuse of persons in custody of the United States Correctional System. Any sexual contact of an inmate within a detention facility is considered nonconsensual, as under federal law, inmates are not able to consent to sexual acts. This is to best protect all incarcerated individuals from sexual abuse, whether at the hands of correctional staff, or fellow inmates.

Verity works closely with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office in order to best serve survivors within the incarcerated community. At both the Main Adult Detention Facility (MADF) and the North County Detention Facility (NCDF) Verity’s 24-hour crisis hotline is available toll free, and our number is posted next to every inmate-accessible phone. Verity is committed to providing intervention and advocacy services to incarcerated individuals within Sonoma County; if you or your loved one needs services, please call our hotline any time at (707) 545-7273. Verity advocates can help make a PREA report on the survivor’s behalf, or provide crisis counseling and support regarding a past sexual assault incident that happened prior to incarceration.