SPR Urges Congress to Increase PREA Funding

Los Angeles, May 16, 2007 – Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) and numerous other advocacy groups are urging the Congressional Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science to allocate $35 million in 2008 for the implementation of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA).

“Many correctional systems have made progress in their efforts to stop prisoner rape,” said Kathy Hall-Martinez, SPR’s Co-Executive Director. “But a lot of important work remains to be done. If Congress fails to fund PREA adequately, it sends a signal that it is not serious about making the law’s zero-tolerance standard a reality.”

When PREA was passed in 2003, Congress authorized annual funding of $60 million per year through 2010 for efforts to implement the law. After allocating $35 million in 2004 and in 2005, Congress decreased its funding in 2006 and 2007 to $18 million per year. PREA’s Congressional co-sponsors in the House and Senate have requested $25 million for 2008.

For more information about prisoner rape, visit www.spr.org, or call Amber Durfield at 213-384-1400, x 102.