Federal Law
The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) is the first United States federal law passed dealing with the sexual assault of prisoners. The bill was signed into law on September 4, 2003. PREA covers all adult, as well as juvenile detention facilities; the definition of prison for the purposes of the act includes "any juvenile facility used for the custody or care of juvenile inmates."
PREA defines "prison" quite broadly. Within the context of PREA, prison is defined as, "any federal, state, or local confinement facility, including local jails, police lockups, juvenile facilities, and state and federal prisons." Thus short-term lockups, such as holding facilities, and local jails, regardless of size, are also subject to the provisions of PREA.
A copy of the federal PREA law, Public Law 108-79, codified as 42 USC § 15601 can be found on the following website: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/about/PubLNo108-79.txt