Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Detention Facility

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Detention Facility just completed a lengthy process of implementing a new National Standard, and completed it with success. This is the first incarceration facility in the State of Florida and only the second in the United States to receive this certification.

In late 2013, our Detention Facility took on a monumental task. Federal Law dictated the implementation of a new standard for Detention Facilities. Called the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) this process has over 40 standards which must be in compliance in order to receive certification. All of those standards were met.

Major Killam, who oversees operations at our Facility, says “We make every effort to safeguard those housed in our jail. This process assures we are compliant and that we go above and beyond. We had a very short timeline to complete this task and it could not have been accomplished without a team effort”.

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was passed in 2003. The law created the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC) and charged it with developing standards for the elimination of sexual abuse in confinement. The law required the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review the NPREC standards, make revisions as necessary, and pass the final standards into law.

Sheriff Hall stated “I am proud of the men and women of this agency”.

Our Agency was audited by Katherine Brown. She is a Department of Justice certified PREA auditor