Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
General Information
In 2003, the United States Department of Justice passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act (known as “PREA”), in an effort to eliminate sexual abuse in correctional (‘confinement’) settings. The passing of this Act resulted in the establishment of the National Prison Rape Elimination Committee (NPREC). This committee developed national standards designed to prevent, detect, and respond to prison rape, which was finalized in 2012. Four sets of standards were developed for the following types of confinement settings: (1) adult prisons and jails, (2) juvenile facilities, (3) community corrections facilities, and (4) temporary holding facilities. The Cherokee County Adult Detention Center follows the standards applicable to adult prisons and jails. In order for correctional facilities to be considered PREA compliant, they are to be audited every three (3) years by the Department of Justice Certified Auditors. The Sheriff’s Office completed its most recent formal PREA audit in 2021.
The PREA Coordinator for the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center is Sergeant Dawn Burkhart. She can be reached by telephone at 678-493-4287, or by email at dmburkhart@cherokeega.com.
Third-party complaints, on behalf of an inmate, can go directly to the PREA Coordinator. Confined inmates may report concerns through the inmate kiosk system located within each housing unit, to the PREA Coordinator, or to the LiveSAFE Resources Hotline toll free number 770-427-3390. All allegations of sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment will be referred for investigation.
PREA Annual Report
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) requires agencies to collect and review data in order to assess and improve the effectiveness of sexual abuse prevention, detection, and response policies, practices, and training. The intention of this report is to identify potential deficiencies in our processes, assess the agency’s progress in addressing sexual abuse, and compare the current year’s data to the past two years.
2017 PREA ANNUAL REPORT
2018 PREA ANNUAL REPORT
2019 PREA ANNUAL REPORT
2020 PREA ANNUAL REPORT
2021 PREA ANNUAL REPORT
2022 PREA ANNUAL REPORT
Cherokee Sheriff’s Office Prison Rape Elimination Act Policy Link