Supporting Survivors Behind Bars: The Vital Role of PREA Advocacy
Each year, an estimated 200,000 people are sexually abused while incarcerated in the United States. These survivors often face overwhelming isolation, limited support, and a constant fear of retaliation if they speak out. Many enter the system already carrying the weight of past trauma, making the path to healing even more difficult.
In response to this crisis, the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was enacted in 2003. This landmark legislation established national standards to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse across all detention settings—from local jails to federal prisons. While creating these standards is a critical step, equally important is ensuring that survivors behind bars have access to meaningful, compassionate support.
At Someplace Safe, we’re proud to be part of that effort. Our team includes three specially trained PREA advocates who work directly with incarcerated survivors of sexual violence. These advocates provide a vital connection to hope and healing, offering confidential, trauma-informed support that honors each survivor’s dignity and autonomy.
Trained through the Minnesota Department of Corrections, our advocates understand the unique challenges of abuse within correctional environments. Minnesota’s Department of Corrections collaborates with community organizations like Someplace Safe to ensure survivors have access to advocacy services inside facilities. By law, prisons and jails must make these services private and accessible, and partner with local support agencies to meet survivors’ needs.
PREA’s mission is simple but powerful: to protect individuals in custody from sexual harm and ensure real accountability for institutions. It mandates multiple reporting avenues, access to medical and mental health care, and safeguards against retaliation. However, the reality of supporting survivors in prison is filled with obstacles.
Privacy is scarce. Survivors are often limited to 15-minute phone calls made from communal areas, where confidentiality is nearly impossible. Private rooms for advocacy meetings are rare. Restrictions on possessions—like the 15-book limit—mean resources such as healing guides or journals must be carefully curated. In overcrowded facilities, moving someone away from their abuser may not be feasible, leaving solitary confinement as the only temporary “safety” measure—an option that can exacerbate trauma rather than ease it.
Despite these barriers, our advocates persist. They connect with survivors however they can—through phone and video calls, letters, in-person visits, and support groups. They accompany survivors during medical exams and interviews, help navigate the reporting process, and provide guidance through complex institutional systems. Most importantly, they offer emotional support, safety planning, and connections to legal and medical resources—with unwavering compassion and without judgment.
At Someplace Safe, we’re committed to ongoing training for our advocates and strengthening our partnerships with correctional staff. Together, we strive to transform how incarcerated survivors are treated and supported. Our PREA advocacy is one part of our broader mission: to stand with all survivors of violence—wherever they are, and whatever they’ve endured.
At the heart of this work is a simple promise: We show up. We listen. We believe.
