The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) and Relevant State Statutes in Maryland, Virginia, an
In 2001, there were approximately 2,100,146 persons incarcerated throughout the United States, with 1,324,464 individuals in federal or state prisons and 631,240 individuals in county and local jails. Congress also determined that at least 13% of those incarcerated have been sexually assaulted in prison. Inmates with mental illnesses and juveniles sentenced to incarceration within adult prisons are at a greater risk. Along with a zero-tolerance national policy for prison ra