Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)


The Cuyahoga County Corrections Center has a zero-tolerance standard for sexual abuse and sexual harassment and makes prevention of inmate sexual abuse a top priority.

The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office extends this zero-tolerance policy to include personnel, volunteers, interns, or contract personnel, who may have contact with inmates, and will thoroughly investigate and hold accountable person(s) who violate these policies and Ohio State laws.

Policy

The Cuyahoga County Corrections Center will provide a safe, humane, and appropriately secure environment, with zero-tolerance of sexual abuse and sexual harassment for all inmates, by maintaining a program of prevention, detection, response, investigation and tracking. Any inmate that has been the victim of sexual abuse or sexual harassment will be monitored to prevent any further harm. Special attention will be paid to jail placement, and a specific treatment plan will be developed for the victim of an act of sexual abuse.

Upon booking into the Corrections Center, all inmates are shown the Inmate Orientation Video, which provides a detailed description of the inmate’s rights under the Prison Rape Elimination Act.

Reporting

Inmates experiencing incidents of sexual abuse or sexual harassment are provided multiple means of making a report. To allow for the quickest response, inmates are encouraged to verbally report to any staff member immediately. Inmates may file written grievances by submitting an Inmate Request Form (kite), or by mailing a letter to the Sheriff at P.O. Box 5600 Cleveland, Ohio 44113. Reports may also be made by telephone (toll-free) to Cleveland Rape Crisis Center at (216) 619-6192.

Non-inmates (third-parties) may report incidents of sexual abuse or sexual harassment of an inmate confined in the Corrections Center by contacting the Warden’s Office at (216) 443-6125, Monday through Friday between 8:30am and 4:00pm.

Reporting Inmate Sexual Harassment-Assault Policy and Procedure

Data Collection

The Cuyahoga County Corrections Center collects accurate, uniform data on every report of sexual abuse occurring in all County correctional facilities. The data collected is used to complete the annual Survey of Sexual Violence that is forwarded to the USDOJ.