Job Description Help for Job Description. Opens a new window. General Description of Duties The PREA Coordinator/Mental Health Ombudsman serves as the agency's subject matter expert, coordinator, advisor, and advocate for matters related to the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), inmate mental health services, grievance review, and the protection of the rights and welfare of incarcerated individuals. The position is responsible for coordinating and monitoring agency-wide compliance with federal PREA standards; reviewing allegations of sexual abuse and sexual harassment; coordinating PREA training, audits, reporting, and corrective action; and maintaining collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders. In the Mental Health Ombudsman capacity, the employee serves as an independent and impartial advocate for incarcerated individuals receiving mental health treatment, services, and programming. The position reviews mental health-related grievances and appeals, monitors access to treatment and therapeutic activities, participates in suicide mitigation efforts, identifies systemic concerns, and makes recommendations to command staff and contracted medical and mental health providers to improve the quality and accessibility of services. The employee exercises considerable independent judgment, discretion, confidentiality, and initiative in performing routine duties and addressing sensitive or emergent matters. The position works collaboratively with command staff, security personnel, medical and mental health providers, investigators, community partners, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders to promote inmate safety, regulatory compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement. The employee promotes the Sheriff Office's mission and vision and adheres to the agency's core values of honesty and integrity, accountability, teamwork, trust and respect, and commitment to excellence. Essential Duties PREA Coordination and Compliance 1. Serves as the agency's PREA Coordinator and subject matter expert regarding the Prison Rape Elimination Act and applicable federal PREA standards. 2. Oversees the development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of PREA-compliant policies, procedures, practices, and protocols. 3. Coordinates and assists all applicable divisions and units with PREA compliance efforts. 4. Conducts routine monitoring and periodic site visits to housing areas to evaluate compliance with PREA standards and identify potential deficiencies. 5. Monitors youthful inmates to ensure appropriate housing and sight-and-sound separation from adult inmates in accordance with PREA standards. 6. Ensures incarcerated individuals receive required PREA information, education, and reporting resources. 7. Reviews allegations of sexual abuse and sexual harassment and assists investigators with interviews, documentation, and reports as appropriate. 8. Monitors reports received through the internal PREA hotline and ensures appropriate follow-up, referral, and documentation. 9. Coordinates with local rape crisis centers and victim advocacy organizations to ensure access to advocacy and support services for victims of sexual abuse. 10. Coordinates appropriate medical and mental health follow-up for individuals reporting sexual abuse, sexual harassment, or related victimization. 11. Collects, maintains, analyzes, and reports PREA-related data and prepares required reports, including the annual Survey of Sexual Victimization. 12. Conducts PREA self-assessments, internal compliance reviews, and other quality assurance activities. 13. Coordinates and hosts PREA compliance audits and maintains documentation necessary to demonstrate compliance with applicable standards. 14. Develops and delivers PREA training to sworn and non-sworn personnel, contractors, volunteers, and other applicable stakeholders. 15. Maintains appropriate PREA training, audit, investigative, compliance, and corrective-action records. Mental Health Advocacy and Oversight 1. Serves as the primary advocate for incarcerated individuals receiving inpatient mental health treatment, services, programming, and therapeutic activities. 2. Serves as a principal liaison between the Sheriff's Office, contracted detention medical and mental health providers, command staff, and other stakeholders regarding the delivery of mental health services. 3. Monitors mental health treatment, services, programs, and required activities to ensure they are provided in accordance with agency policies, procedures, contractual requirements, and applicable standards of care. 4. Conducts periodic site visits to mental health and inpatient housing units to proactively identify concerns involving access to treatment, services, programming, therapeutic activities, living conditions, and continuity of care. 5. Reviews indicators associated with inpatient mental health services and the provision of structured out-of-cell therapeutic services in coordination with mental health, medical, and security personnel. 6. Monitors facility mental health programs and activities and evaluates whether established protocols adequately support the needs of the inmate population. 7. Works collaboratively with multidisciplinary treatment teams to identify barriers to treatment and facilitate appropriate access to mental health services. 8. Evaluates established mental health protocols and makes recommendations to improve the accessibility, quality, effectiveness, and continuity of mental health services. Suicide Prevention and Mitigation 1. Serves as a primary agency contact and resource regarding suicide mitigation efforts involving the incarcerated population. 2. Reviews practices, trends, incidents, and identified concerns related to suicide prevention and mitigation and recommends corrective or preventive measures when appropriate. 3. Collaborates with medical, mental health, security, classification, and command staff to identify systemic concerns involving suicide prevention and the management of individuals experiencing acute mental health needs. 4. Participates in multidisciplinary reviews of suicide-related incidents, attempts, serious self-harm events, or identified trends as directed. 5. Monitors implementation of recommended corrective actions associated with suicide mitigation and mental health quality improvement. Grievances, Complaints, and Inmate Advocacy 1. Conducts timely, independent, impartial, and professional reviews of mental health-related formal grievances and appeals submitted by incarcerated individuals. 2. Receives, documents, assesses, and appropriately refers complaints or concerns regarding access to mental health treatment, services, programming, or other matters within the scope of the position. 3. Conducts interviews, fact-finding inquiries, document reviews, and other research necessary to evaluate complaints and grievances. 4. Serves as an impartial intermediary between incarcerated individuals, detention staff, contracted providers, and administration when addressing matters within the scope of the position. 5. Promotes fair and consistent application of agency policies and procedures while advocating for appropriate access to the services required. 6. Identifies recurring or systemic concerns arising from grievances, complaints, investigations, PREA reports, and facility observations and communicates those concerns to appropriate leadership. 7. Provides in-depth research and professional responses to inquiries from authorized outside sources as required. Quality Assurance, Data Analysis, and Continuous Improvement 1. Plans, develops, and participates in facility quality assurance activities related to PREA compliance, mental health... Visit the Employer site for more details