In January 2017, the Westchester County Department of Correction became the first New York State jail to pass an audit by federal inspectors under the United States Prison Rape Elimination Act.
PREA was enacted to ensure that local jails, prisons and other criminal justice detention facilities have mechanisms in place to prevent, detect and respond to allegations of sexual misconduct committed against individuals in custody.
The jail was determined to exceed 13 PREA regulations and to meet 30 others.
Pursuant to federal regulations, Westchester’s PREA audit is accessible online.