In Memoriam: John Kaneb

John Kaneb, Chairman and CEO of HP Hood LLC, philanthropist, and Vice Chairman of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, passed away on Sunday, August 29, 2021. He was 86 year old.

John Kaneb had a profound and lasting impact on the Bureau of Justice Assistance's (BJA’s) ongoing work to eliminate the scourge of prison rape. In 2004, President George W. Bush appointed Mr. Kaneb to serve as Vice Chairman of the bipartisan National Prison Rape Elimination Commission which was responsible for drafting national standards to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse and sexual harassment in correctional facilities nationwide. Mr. Kaneb made invaluable contributions to the work of the Commission. Most notably, he was the visionary for the inclusion of an audit to ensure that correctional facilities are held accountable for keeping people who are incarcerated safe from sexual abuse and sexual harassment. It is a direct result of this vision that BJA has certified nearly 1,000 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) auditors who have conducted over 6,000 PREA audits in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico since 2013.

In the years following his participation in the Commission, Mr. Kaneb continued to serve as a vocal advocate of BJA’s and its partners’ efforts to end sexual abuse in confinement. He collaborated with BJA, correctional stakeholders, and advocates to continue advancing policies designed to protect people who are incarcerated from sexual abuse. Mr. Kaneb’s contributions and unwavering commitment leave a lasting legacy that is helping to make correctional facilities safer, and increasing accountability and transparency in the systems we rely on for justice.