How should facilities ensure PREA training stays current?

• A. Training should be conducted only during initial hiring and never updated.
• B. Training materials should be reviewed every five years with no updates.
• C. Ongoing quarterly seminars without updates.
• D. Regularly review and update training materials, incorporate new standards and best practices, and provide ongoing refresher sessions.

Answer: (D)

Keeping PREA training current means regularly reviewing and updating materials and providing ongoing refresher sessions. Standards and best practices for preventing and responding to sexual abuse in confinement evolve over time, with new reporting procedures, trauma-informed approaches, and compliance requirements appearing from regulatory bodies and professional guidance. If training is only delivered at hire and never updated, staff may rely on outdated procedures or miss new definitions and processes.

Reviewing on a long, fixed interval without updates leaves training out of sync with current expectations, which can lead to confusion and noncompliance in real cases. Offering ongoing seminars without updating the core materials risks reinforcing outdated information when staff need to apply the latest standards in practice.

The strongest approach is to continuously review and update training materials to reflect new standards and best practices, while also delivering regular refresher sessions to reinforce learning and maintain vigilance.