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The Jeanne Clery Act

The law in about twenty words or less: Parents and students cannot assume that college environments are safe. Universities must track, report and effectively communicate violent campus crime statistics.

More In depth Information: The way that this law came about is truly tragic.  On April 5, 1986, Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered in her dorm, by a fellow student whom she did not know. As a result, her parents became champions of a law requiring the disclosure of crime on college campuses that we now know as the Jeanne Clery Act, or more colloquially referred to as just the Clery Act. 

Clery is about extensive record-keeping and statistics compilation. Under Clery schools must disseminate  an annual security report, that contains very specific information, to current students and employees every year by October 1. How the information is to be collected is specified in great detail, as well as the manner in which the report is to be communicated.  Where schools often run into difficulties with Clery is in not collecting the information as specified and not disseminated it as specified. This Act has been amended a few times, since it’s initial passage, and as a result of the 2013 VAWA reauthorization, the Act has been amended to include specific communication that must take place with regard to victims of sexual assault and intimate violence.

What does Clery require schools to do: Clery requires that schools keep pretty extensive documentation regarding the kinds of crimes that occur on their campus annually. The information is to be gathered from local law enforcement agencies as well as campus authorities. The information regarding the crime is to be communicated via an annual security report, which is to be disseminated in some way that assures easy access via faculty and students alike. This is usually done by making the report available on the campuses website. Clery also requires that schools provide timely warnings and notifications regarding crime that is occurring on campus that could potentially endanger anyone on campus. Today, this is typically accomplished via an electronic alert system, accessed via cellphone.

References

Carter, S. Daniel. “Jeanne Clery Act Information.” Jeanne Clery Act Information. S. Daniel Carter, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.

Clery Center For Security On Campus. “Summary of the Jeanne Clery Act.” Clery Center For Security On Campus. Clery Center For Security On Campus, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.