TPI is filing complaints about PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) auditor failures to provide proper audits. This is one of our abbreviated deficiency reports for facilities where we have little specific documentation about violence and PREA noncompliance.
Content warning: Some of these letters describe threats and incidents of violence that may be disturbing. We will note whether each letter is considered a low, moderate, or high risk for being disturbing. We consider this letter to be low risk.
The following file is the TPI complaint against the auditor. The audit report by the auditor, which we feel was inappropriately submitted as final documentation of “compliance” with the PREA standards, can be accessed here. Some noteworthy points include:
- The auditor failed to complete the required minimum number of targeted interviews, including interviews of persons present at the unit and reporting sexual victimization.
- PREA § 115.21: The auditor does not adequately address why the documented allegation against staff for sexual abuse did not include a SANE exam.
- PREA § 115.43: The auditor makes contradictory and confusing statements about persons being housed in protective custody, indicating compliance with PREA § 115.43 was not adequately assessed.
- PREA § 115.68: The auditor makes problematic statements about this standard, indicating possible manipulation of “voluntary” and “involuntary” determinations. The auditor also indicates a failure to appropriately address PREA § 115.68 (and possibly 115.43) compliance for persons in what might be considered involuntary protective custody longer that 24 hours but less than 30 days.
- PREA § 115.71: The auditor fails to address the lack of forensic medical evidence collection in the case of a sexual abuse allegation against a staff member, indicating compliance with this standard should be questioned.