Congress passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA), which applies to every person incarcerated in a U.S. correctional institution-federal prisons, state prisons, jails, private facilities, lock-ups, juvenile facilities and immigration detention centers. The law applies to multiple forms of sexual violence, including coercion by staff or other incarcerated people.
The Rensselaer County Correctional Facility has established a "Zero Tolerance" for inmate sexual assault/abuse and shall make every effort to provide all inmates with a safe, humane and secure environment, free from the threat of sexual assault/abuse and staff sexual misconduct/harassment.