County Council
Proposed ordinance would keep sexual abuse protections for trans county inmates.
Federal protections against sexual abuse cover transgender people in jails, but an Allegheny County Council member said they may be removed. Her proposed ordinance would write those protections into county law for the jail and juvenile detention center. It would also set a zero-tolerance standard for rape. On May 14, a council committee unanimously recommended it for a final vote.
Written by Amy Whipple
Should the federal government remove protections for transgender individuals in the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), they may still be protected at the county level.
Council Member Bethany Hallam of Ross, who sits on the Jail Oversight Board, said during the May 14 public safety committee meeting that the federal government may remove protections for transgender individuals.
Then-president George W. Bush signed PREA into law in 2003. It is designed to prioritize detection, prevention and punishment for sexual abuse in prisons, jails and juvenile facilities. Former President Barack Obama added additional protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals in 2012.
A Dec. 2025 Department of Justice memorandum instructed PREA auditors to ignore provisions that conflicted with President Donald Trump’s anti-trans executive order from earlier that year.
Hallam’s proposed ordinance would codify those protections in the county jail and juvenile detention center even if they’re no longer compelled to do so by federal law. It would establish a zero-tolerance standard for the incidence of rape and also increase the available data and other information toward improving management in the county’s correctional facilities.
The committee unanimously recommended moving the bill to the council for a final vote.
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