© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

A Federal Law Compelled Police To Launch A Rape Investigation At The Jackson County Jail

Sam Zeff
/
KCUR 89.3

Kansas City police say a federal law spurred a rape investigation in late May at the Jackson County jail after two detainees were seen alone together.

It came up during a Kansas City council committee meeting Wednesday that the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) sparked the investigation.

The law was enacted in 2003. According to the U.S. Department of Justice website, it “applies to all public and private institutions that house adult or juvenile offenders and is also relevant to community-based agencies. It addresses both inmate-on-inmate sexual abuse and staff sexual misconduct.”

Kansas City police had arrested both detainees. They were in separate holding tanks, waiting to be processed into the jail on city charges.

Guards saw the two detainees alone together. This sort of situation is one of the protocols that could launch a PREA investigation. 

"It was presented to the prosecutor, who is not pursuing charges," Kansas City Police Department spokesman  Darin Snapp wrote in an email.

Mike Mansur, spokesman for Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, confirmed in an email that there was "insufficient evidence" to bring charges.

Sam Zeff is KCUR's Metro Reporter. You can follow Sam on Twitter: @samzeff

As KCUR’s metro reporter, I hold public officials accountable. Are cities spending your tax money wisely? Are police officers and other officials acting properly? I will track down malfeasance by seeking open records and court documents, and by building relationships across the city. But I also need you — email me with any tips at sam@kcur.org, find me on Twitter @samzeff or call me at 816-235-5004.
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.