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Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Cost Impact Analysis

NCJ Number
233998
Date Published
2010
Length
414 pages
Annotation
This document, prepared for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, is the final report of the Prison Rape Elimination Act Cost Impact Analysis.
Abstract
This cost impact analysis of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), found that among the 41 PREA standards, 12 have negligible or non-existent cost impacts, 26 have anywhere from a very minimal to a modestly sizeable cost impact, 3 standards accounted for 99 percent of all upfront costs, 1 standard accounted for 96 percent of all upfront costs, and 2 standards accounted for 76 percent of all ongoing costs. Of the 26 standards with minimal to moderate costs, 7 had a compliance rate of 70 percent or higher, while the other 19 standards had very low compliance rates. Data for this final report to the Office of Justice Programs came from a cost impact analysis of the standards published by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC) in 2009. The analysis assessed the costs specific to each standard, the variations within the cost estimates, and addressed a comprehensive view regarding implementation of and compliance with the standards on a national level. The analysis examined the cost impact of the standards at 49 sites covering 5 types of correctional facilities: 13 State prisons, 16 local/county jails, 10 juvenile facilities, 6 community corrections, and 4 police lockups. Of the 49 sites, 12 were in the Midwest, 8 were in the Northeast, 13 were in the South, and 16 were in the West. The analysis found that sites had compliance rates for the standards ranging from a high of 88 percent to a low of 38 percent, with an average compliance rate of 63 percent. The sector with the highest compliance rates was police lockups with 74 percent, with the other sectors having compliance rates ranging from 61 to 67 percent. Tables and appendixes