PREA / Incarcerated Survivors

24 HOUR HELPLINE: (831) 375-4357 • (831) 424-4357

Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)

PREA was passed in 2003 and was created to eliminate sexual abuse in confinement. It is the nation’s first federal civil law addressing sexual violence behind bars. One of PREA’s main requirements was the development of national standards (commonly known as PREA Standards) to prevent and respond to prisoner rape. These standards were released by the Department of Justice in 2012. PREA applies to all adult, immigration, and juvenile detention facilities.

MCRCC serves incarcerated survivors through:

  • Letter correspondence: confidential written correspondence between a Sexual Assault Counselor and an incarcerated survivor pursuant to CAL. EVID. CODE § 1035.4
  • Crisis line: Incarcerated survivors can call MCRCC’s Salinas Office at (831) 771-0411. MCRCC is able to accept collect calls from incarcerated survivors. Incarcerated survivors can also request to call MCRCC through detention facility personnel. These calls may be monitored and/or recorded by detention facilities and are, therefore, not confidential.
  • Accompaniment: incarcerated survivors have the right to a Sexual Assault Counselor during Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations. MCRCC Staff and Volunteers are able to accompany incarcerated survivors to forensic exams.
  • In-person support: Incarcerated survivors can request a Sexual Assault Counselor to meet them at the detention facilities for crisis intervention and support.

MCRCC is dedicated to improving services provided to incarcerated survivors and collaborating with our local correctional facilities - Correctional Training Facility (CTF) and Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) - to uphold the PREA Standards.