Alicia Goodwin, the Oregon Youth Authority's PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) coordinator, told the Public Safety Subcommittee on May 1 that the federal PREA law remains in effect and that OYA continues to conduct PREA reviews and prepare for required audits despite recent changes to federal funding for the PREA Resource Center.

Goodwin said PREA reviews operate ‘‘simultaneously and separately’’ from PSO investigations: PSO conducts administrative investigations, and her office conducts PREA reviews that collect mandatory PREA data and may require extended monitoring or referral to criminal investigators. She told the committee that a PSO investigation can be closed internally while a PREA review remains open because PREA reviews track different federal compliance elements and timelines.

Why this matters

PREA sets federal standards for preventing, detecting and responding to sexual abuse and harassment in confinement settings and requires periodic audits of facilities. Goodwin said OYA must audit all nine close-custody facilities within a three-year cycle and that three facilities are audited each year. She said auditors review investigations and PREA reviews for audited facilities and that OYA's audit reports and annual PREA reports are posted on the agency website.

Reporting options and immediate response

Goodwin described multiple ways youth and others can report concerns: facility posters and materials, a complaints hotline that she said typically responds within 24 hours, an electronic complaint form, attorneys, family members, the governor's constituent office and, for staff concerns, the agency's HR and management channels. She said intake coordinators give new arrivals a youth safety guide and reporting-line card, and PREA posters are placed in English and Spanish in visitation areas.

Goodwin also described on-site response capacity: trained on-site teams and compliance staff can respond immediately to preserve evidence and provide victim services when needed. She noted that the PREA Resource Center's federal funding change affects national technical support and auditor certification processes but does not eliminate the statutory PREA obligations.

Data presented

Goodwin summarized that of the aged cases mapped during the agency review, 64 PREA reviews were older than 180 days at one point and that 53 of those were youth-on-youth concerns while 11 were staff-on-youth concerns. She told the committee that, with recent attention and additional resources, the number of older PREA reviews has declined and that she is seeing both aged cases and active PREA reviews close more promptly than in prior months.

Ending

Goodwin said OYA will continue to prepare for its scheduled audits and to post audit and annual PREA reports publicly. Committee members asked follow-up questions about audit scope and certification of auditors; Goodwin said auditors remain under contract for near-term audits and that the agency will continue to comply with federal PREA standards.