Congress enacted the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) to address the issue of sexual abuse of persons in the custody of U.S. correctional facilities.. PREA calls for federal, state, and local corrections agencies and private correctional providers to have a zero-tolerance policy regarding prison rape in prisons, jails, police holding areas, and other correctional confinement facilities. The Act applies to all public and private institutions that house adult or juvenile offenders and to community-based correctional agencies.