California Advancing PREA: Resources for California Advocates

The below resources were developed by Just Detention International and ValorUS to support California advocates.


Training Your Advocates to Work with Incarcerated Survivors

This webinar introduces a PowerPoint presentation and facilitators guide to RCC staff who will train volunteers and advocates at their agency about how to best serve survivors of sexual abuse and sexual harassment who are incarcerated.

Resources:
PowerPoint presentation
Labels PDF
Facilitator’s Guide PDF


Serving Incarcerated Survivors: Beyond Basic Services

This webinar was developed for agencies who are ready to expand their services for incarcerated survivors beyond the basic services of written correspondence, hotline, and accompaniment to forensic exams mandated by PREA.

Resources:
Notes Slides


Partnering with Corrections: MOU Office Hours

This webinar, intended for rape crisis centers, provides tools to initiate a partnership with their local jail with the ultimate goal of developing an MOU and setting up a reliable and sustainable victim services program for survivors behind bars. It is designed for advocates and agencies who are developing a new MOU or negotiating improvements to an existing MOU.

Resources:
PowerPoint presentation


Providing Rape Crisis Services to Survivors in County Jails

This webinar was developed to train victim advocates at rape crisis centers who will provide emotional support services to incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse and sexual harassment in county jails. The webinar provides useful information about how jails differ from prisons and delves into how women and people with mental illness make up an increasing percentage of the incarcerated population in U.S. county-run jails.

Resources:
Notes Slides
Clarifying the Roles of Advocates and Therapists in Detention


Serving Youth Survivors in Detention

This webinar was developed to train victim advocates at rape crisis centers who will provide emotional support services to youth survivors of sexual abuse and sexual harassment in detention. America incarcerates more of its young people than any other country in the world, and many of these youth enter the correctional system via the school-to-prison pipeline and/or sexual abuse-to-prison pipeline. Experiences of oppression and trauma are predictors not only of which youth are more likely to enter detention, but of which youth are most vulnerable to abuse while held in custody. A survivor’s status as a youth also requires advocates to take a more proactive approach, rather than wait for calls for help.

Resources:
Notes Slides


CA Advancing PREA: CDCR Conservation Camps

This online module is intended to serve as an introduction to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s conservation camps program. This training was designed for victim advocates at CA rape crisis centers who have an MOU with a CDCR institution in their service area that operates one or more of these conservation camps. Although it is corrections agencies and not rape crisis centers that comply with PREA, the participation of outside advocates is crucial in helping PREA serve its purpose. While their means to do so may be limited, survivors living at fire camps have the same rights to your services as their fellow prisoners at the parent facilities.

Resources:
Notes Slides


Providing Rape Crisis Services to Incarcerated Survivors with Mental Illness

This webinar, intended for rape crisis counselors, provides an overview of the prevalence of mental illness in US detention facilities, reveals the inadequacy of mental health care provided by jails and prisons, and lays out best practices for advocates who provide rape crisis services to incarcerated survivors who have a mental illness.

Resources:
Notes Slides
Clarifying the Roles of Advocates and Therapists in Detention


The Trauma of Detention

Being locked up can be a traumatizing experience — especially for survivors of sexual abuse. In this webinar, we look at how incarceration itself can trigger extreme distress due to the loss of bodily autonomy and the isolation from loved ones. The webinar also touches on the inadequacy of correctional health care and the failure of many rehabilitation programs to address trauma. The webinar features a pre-recorded conversation with Johanna Hudnall, a member of JDI’s Survivor Council.

Resources:
Notes Slides


CA Advancing PREA: Setting Up Rape Crisis Services for Incarcerated Survivors (Part 1 of 2)

This webinar is designed for advocates and agencies who are preparing to provide rape crisis services to incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse. It includes an overview of detention in the United States and the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), as well as guidance for fostering partnerships with corrections staff and creating internal protocols for the provision of rape crisis services in prisons and jails. This presentation is continued in Part 2, Providing Rape Crisis Services to Incarcerated Survivors.

Resources:
Notes Slides


CA Advancing PREA: Setting Up Rape Crisis Services for Incarcerated Survivors (Part 2 of 2)

This webinar is a continuation of Setting Up Rape Crisis Services for Incarcerated Survivors. It is designed for advocates and agencies who have completed internal preparations and are ready to begin providing rape crisis services to incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse. It provides guidance for advocates in how to best provide emotional support services to incarcerated survivors via hotline and written correspondence, during forensic exams, and in person.

Resources:
Notes Slides


Accompanying Incarcerated Survivors at Forensic Exams

One of the goals of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is to ensure that survivors who are incarcerated receive a level of care that is as close as possible to what is available to those in the outside community. This includes having an advocate to accompany them during the forensic exam following an assault. This webinar provides advocates guidance on best practices during exams, ensuring follow-up services for incarcerated survivors, and working with Release of Information forms (ROIs).

Resources:
Notes Slides


I Carry Your Words with Me: Meaningful Written Correspondence for Incarcerated Survivors

Written correspondence presents a unique and vital way for incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse and sexual harassment to connect with an advocate. But letter writing is something advocates almost never need to do for their clients outside of detention, and many feel that they lack this skill. This webinar will help advocates gain confidence in providing meaningful emotional support via letter to incarcerated survivors.

Resources:
Notes Slides
Labels PDF
Progressive Muscle Relaxation


Receiving Phone Calls from Incarcerated Survivors

This webinar provides training in anticipation of an increased number of calls to CA rape crisis agencies from CDCR sites as awareness of toll-free, non-recorded calls grows among incarcerated survivors. Topics include how to prepare your agency to receive crisis calls from survivors inside CDCR facilities, best practices during calls, and ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of your crisis line services.

Resources:
Notes Slides


CA Advancing PREA Online Modules and Facilitator’s Guides (3 Folders)


Access for All: A Guide to Serving Incarcerated Survivors