Vera is supporting the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) in their efforts to establish a zero-tolerance culture for sexual assault in their juvenile correctional facilities by (1) assessing current sexual abuse incident rates; and (2) providing training and technical assistance to strengthen the social norms of youth and staff in order to attain a zero-tolerance culture for sexual assault.

Project Objectives

  • To promote human dignity behind bars by improving responses to sexual abuse in correctional facilities.

Key Fact

9.5% of adjudicated youth in state juvenile facilities reported suffering sexual abuse within 12 months of arrival, according to a recent report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).