Zero Tolerance Policy
It is the policy of the Leon County Detention Facility (LCDF) to comply with the provisions set forth in the Prison Rape Elimination Act. The LCDF has established a “Zero Tolerance” policy for sexual misconduct for incidents involving inmate-on-inmate sexual violence and staff sexual misconduct/harassment/voyeurism towards inmates, regardless of consensual status [FCAC 6.21M]. The LCDF considers any form of sexual misconduct by staff an abuse of power.
LCDF Standard Operating Procedure which establishes uniform guidelines and operating procedures concerning the prevention, detection, and reporting of sexual abuse/assault/harassment of inmates, in accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA).
Investigations
All reported incidents of inmate sexual abuse or sexual harassment are thoroughly investigated by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. There are two types of investigations conducted by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office as they relate to reported incidents. They are:
Administrative Investigations: All reported incidents are considered administrative in nature until the preliminary investigation is completed. The Leon County Detention Facility’s Facility Investigator receives all reports and reviews them. If, during the preliminary investigation process, or during the initial reporting of the incident, it appears that a crime may have been committed, the incident is then referred to the Violent Crimes Unit for criminal investigation. Administrative Investigations primarily cover acts of voyeurism and harassment.
Criminal Investigations: If sexual abuse is alleged, the reported incident will be referred to the Violent Crimes Unit for investigation. The Violent Crimes Unit has investigators that have received specialized training in sexual abuse investigations within a confinement setting. Substantiated allegations of conduct that appears to be criminal in nature, will be referred for prosecution.
Third Party Reporting
PREA § 115.54
The Leon County Detention Facility has established a method to receive third-party reports of sexual abuse and sexual harassment and distributes publicly, information on how to report sexual abuse and sexual harassment on behalf of an inmate. This information is accessible to the public via the Inmate Handbook.
If you have information on an incident of inmate sexual abuse or sexual harassment, you may contact:
The Rape Crisis Hotline at 1-888-956-7273 or 1-800-962-2873
Leon County Detention Facility - Facility Investigator at 850-606-3500 Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM
Leon County PREA Coordinator at 850-606-3688
Monday-Friday from 7:00 AM until 4:00 PM
Leon County Detention Facility Watch Commander at 850-606-3500
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
The mailing address for the Leon County Detention Facility is:
PO Box 727
Tallahassee, Florida 32302
You can report any incident anonymously if you choose to do so. You can report the incident in writing or verbally. The more information you can provide will assist the agency with completing the investigation.
Inmate Sexual Abuse/Harassment Prevention and Intervention Standard Operating Procedures