Sexual assault allegations up at Sedgwick County Jail

Allegations of sexual assault and harassment at Sedgwick County’s jail rose for the second year in a row, but the number of substantiated allegations remained steady at four each year.

The jail had 37 allegations of inappropriate sexual misconduct, harassment or contact in 2014, compared with 30 in 2013, according to Sedgwick County data filed with federal authorities.

Four of the allegations were substantiated each year after internal investigations.

The sheriff’s office, which operates the Sedgwick County Detention Facility in downtown Wichita, tracks the data as part of its compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act. The act is a 2003 federal law aimed at identifying and eliminating sexual violence in America’s prisons.

“We choose to comply with it because it’s the right thing to do,” said Sedgwick County sheriff’s Lt. Lin Dehning. “It’s a good policy.”

Capt. Jared Schechter said Sedgwick County complies with the law even though county jails don’t necessarily face penalties for noncompliance.

“It’s considered the best practice model … on how to protect inmates and keep inmates safe,” Schechter said.

“It adds to your legal defensibility about running a modern and proper facility,” he added.

Sedgwick County Detention Facility employees, contractors and volunteers take a class every year on their responsibilities under the act, Schechter said.

“It’s talking about the zero tolerance our agency has for sexual abuse and sexual harrassment of inmates and what to do if an inmate makes a claim to you,” Schechter said.

“It also involves your lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex inmates and how to be professional with them and treat them with dignity and respect they deserve,” he added.

Schechter said when an alleged assault occurs, jail staff will separate the potential victim and suspect, contact a supervisor and make notes of what happened. Then the sheriff’s office will investigate.

Incidents of sexual assault get reported to the district attorney’s office if they’re substantiated, Schechter said. An accused inmate will also face more restrictive housing assignments for several days to several weeks “depending on the severity of the action.”

“The suspect at that point will be separated out from the general population inmates and managed much more closely because they’ve shown themselves to be a predator,” Schechter said.

An inmate making an unfounded claim can also get reported to the DA’s office for filing a false report.

The sheriff’s office also uses PREA to determine which counties should be ruled out for housing the overflow of Sedgwick County inmates.

“All the counties we contract with for out-of-county housing, as part of their contract, are working on being PREA-compliant,” Schechter said.

Sedgwick County inmates can be sent to Butler, Chase, Cherokee, Cloud, Cowley and Sumner counties, Schechter said.

All six counties are in the process of being audited for their compliance with PREA, Schechter said.

Schechter said PREA allows jails and prisons around the country to get “on the same page” with definitions and practices against sexual violence.

“We’re all wanting to keep inmates safe and run safe facilities.”

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Sexual assault allegations up at Sedgwick County Jail."