Federal Sexual Assault Prevention Program Awards $250K To Fulton County Sheriff's Office

ATLANTA, GA — The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office received a federal grant to help prevent sexual violence at county detention facilities.

The $250,000 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Grant was awarded to the Sheriff’s office by the U.S. Department of Justice to directly protect inmates.

“The Fulton County Jail has zero tolerance (for) sexual abuse,” Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat said. “Persons in the care, custody, and control of this agency have an expectation and right to feel safe. One person victimized is one person too many.”

The funds will be used to hire a PREA coordinator to design and oversee a comprehensive new program aimed at preventing sexual assault within the Fulton County Jail system, which houses more than 3,100 detainees at facilities in Atlanta, Union City and Alpharetta on any given day. The grant money also will allow the Sheriff’s office to hire more staff to ward off sexual assaults and help to integrate PREA standards into daily cultures.

“We are fully committed to preventing the unfortunate opportunities for persons to be subject to sexual abuse while in custody,” Labat said. “This grant has far-reaching benefits for many years to come with the expansion of required training for staff.”

See Also:

• Prison Violence Draws Statewide Federal Civil Rights Inquiry
• DeKalb Jailer Arrested, Accused Of Assaulting Inmates