NRVJDH is fully committed to PREA and its mission!
Supterintendent Young (left) and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (right). Representative Scott co-sponsored the bill (PREA) in Congress. Mr. Young was honored to have him in attendance at one of his PREA workshops at VJJA’s 2014 Fall Institute.
PREA Compliance Audits
Per PREA Standards §115.393 – 405, the NRVJDH was audited, for the second time, in July 2017. The NRVJDH is fully PREA compliant, making it the first juvenile facility in Virginia to be re-certified. The audit report can be viewed by clicking the link button below.
Zero-Tolerance for Sexual Abuse or Sexual Harassment 115.311
The New River Valley Juvenile Detention Commission has a zero tolerance for all forms of sexual abuse and sexual harassment. It is also the Commission’s priority to prevent, detect and respond to such conduct through policy, procedure, training and practice.
“Break The Silence” Brochure
This brochure is given to every juvenile upon intake. It outlines what sexual abuse and harassment is and more importantly, how juveniles can report if they become a victim while in detention. Included within the brochure are several telephone numbers victims can call to report the abuse and also to receive counseling or services from a victim advocate. Click here for a copy of the PREA Brochure.
Allegation Referral 115.322
- Suspected Child Abuse (clickable link)
- Grievance (clickable link)
If an allegation involves potentially criminal behavior, the Christiansburg Police Department is notified and will handle the investigation.
Third Party Reporting 115.354
A grievance (complaint) may be filed by a third party such as staff members, family members, attorneys, and fellow residents or any other interested party. These third party reports of sexual abuse maybe reported in person, in writing, on-line (Report Abuse button above) or by telephone. The resident does not need to agree to have the complaint filed. These individuals may also assist residents in filing requests for administrative remedies relating to sexual abuse.
Review of Aggregated Sexual Abuse Data 115.388
No allegations of sexual abuse in this reporting period.
Aggregated Sexual Abuse Data 115.389
No allegations of sexual abuse in this reporting period.
Annual Report CY23
Background
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) requires we, as a juvenile detention facility, collect accurate, uniform data for every allegation of sexual abuse at our facility using a standardized instrument and set of definitions. This info shall be aggregated at least annually. The data collected shall include, at a minimum, the data necessary to answer all questions from the most recent version of the Survey of Sexual Violence conducted by the Department of Justice.
We will maintain, review, and collect data as needed from all available incident-based documents, including reports, investigation files, and sexual abuse incident reviews. Upon request, the agency shall provide all such data from the previous calendar year to the Department of Justice no later than June 30.
PREA also requires that we review the collected data to see if any corrective action is necessary. We review data collected and aggregated pursuant to § 115.387 to assess and improve the effectiveness of its sexual abuse prevention, detection, and response policies, practices, and training, including:
- Identifying problem areas;
- Taking corrective action on an ongoing basis; and
- Preparing an annual report of its findings and corrective actions for each facility, as well as the agency.
This report shall include a comparison of the current year’s data and corrective actions with those from prior years and shall provide an assessment of the agency’s progress in addressing sexual abuse. The report is approved by the Superintendent and made readily available to the public through our website.
There may be some information that is redacted when publication would present a clear and specific threat to the safety and security of a facility, but must indicate the nature of the material redacted.
We make all aggregated sexual abuse data readily available to the public at least annually through our website. Before making aggregated sexual abuse data publicly available, we will remove all personal identifiers. We maintain sexual abuse data collected pursuant to § 115.387 for at least 10 years after the date of its initial collection unless Federal, State, or local law requires otherwise.
Findings
For the past calendar year and the years before, we did not have any allegations of sexual abuse. We take any allegation, regardless of whether or not it meets PREA, seriously. We have had a long history and reputation of having a standing zero tolerance policy for sexual abuse or sexual harassment. Our staff is trained extensively in child abuse and neglect reporting, maintaining professional relationships, behavior management, code of ethics and more. Having a strong program that prides itself in preventing, detecting and responding to abuse of any kind takes dedication and pride from everyone. Our teachers, mental health staff, medical staff, floor staff and administration all have a part in making our program successful. We are forever striving to make our program better and more responsive to our diverse population of kids.