Prison Rape Elimination Act
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office
Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is a federal law that prohibits sexual misconduct in correctional settings such as prisons, jails, lockups, juvenile facilities and INS detention facilities. Sexual misconduct under this law includes:
Inmate -on -Inmate sexual assault and abuse
Staff-on-Inmate sexual misconduct (sexual/inappropriate relationships with inmates)
Inmate- on- Inmate and staff –on-inmate sexual harassment
The Lewis County Jail (LCJ) is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for staff and inmates. LCJ has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct of any kind and will impose discipline for such misconduct, up to and including dismissal for staff and serious infractions for inmates who victimize other inmates. Incidents of sexual misconduct will also be referred to law enforcement when applicable. LCJ’s policies regarding sexual misconduct applies to all inmates. They also apply to employees, contractors and volunteers.
HOW TO REPORT SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
Lewis County Jail investigates all allegations of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate sexual misconduct. You can report sexual misconduct in multiple ways:
If you have information regarding a Lewis County Jail inmate who has been the victim of sexual misconduct while under LCJ custody, friends and family can report information to the on duty supervisor.
Inmates in custody can file a PREA kite for staff to review or they can report directly to any corrections deputy, deputy, nurse, counselor or chaplin at the Lewis County Jail.
You can report information regarding an inmate or request additional information about PREA by:
- Writing a letter to :
PREA Investigations
28 SW Chehalis Ave.
Chehalis, WA 98532 - Calling the jail and asking for an on-duty supervisor.
- Calling 911 to report an alleged crime
How do LCJ inmates report sexual misconduct?
Inmates can report by submitting a Grievance Tracker request, telling a trusted staff member, asking a family member or friend to call the jail, sending a written report to the PREA unit via legal mail or by calling Human Response Network and reporting an allegation.
What do I do if someone I know is being threatened or victimized?
Please review the brochure “sexual assault and custodial sexual misconduct (linked below under resources) for additional information for friends and family. This information was also provided to each inmate housed in our facility. All allegations of criminal activity occurring within the facility are investigated.
Annual Report
Each year the LCJ will publish an annual report regarding PREA-related incidents along with plans to improve prevention, detection and investigation activities. Our first report is being developed and will be posted to this portion of the website as soon as it is completed.