[Archived] What policy alternatives are staff considering regarding the $174,806 that the proposed budget placed in contingent reserves to fund potential personnel increases to comply with PREA obligations?

The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) requirements written and adopted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) mandate ratios of staff to inmates in correctional facilities, including those that house juveniles. The Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center is subject to these regulations and is mandated to have sufficient staffing in place to meet these ratios of 1 staff to 8 juveniles during waking hours and 1 staff member to 16 juveniles during sleeping hours. These staff members must specifically be security personnel and not educational or support staff (which do not count towards the ratios).

NVJDC has requested funding for 8 additional security personnel from the participating jurisdictions who use the facility (Alexandria, Arlington and Falls Church) to meet this requirement. However, the PREA guidelines state that the ratios are effective October 1, 2017 which occurs during FY 2018. Staff has scheduled a meeting with NVJDC and the other regional partners to discuss the timing of this need as well as the specifics of the staffing requirements