A college student who is accused of a crime could face serious ramifications. Not only could they face jail time and financial fines, but they may also be expelled or suspended from the university, putting their education in jeopardy.
It’s very important for these college students to understand what legal defense options they have. It’s also wise to think about how and why these criminal activities take place so that college students can know what risks they face.
Statistics from 2021
The most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics comes from 2021. They claimed that there were more than 23,000 criminal incidents, and forcible sex offenses were the most common. These made up 44% of all the crimes in the report.
Next, 28% of the reported crimes were burglaries or instances of theft. There were also 500 robberies, making up another 2% of crimes. And it wasn’t just apartments or dorm rooms that were burglarized. Another 15% of the crimes were motor vehicle thefts that happened on college campuses.
Aggravated assault was also an issue, accounting for just 9% of the crimes. But that still included over 2,000 cases of assault.
Finally, there were 400 cases of arson. They made up around 2% of the total but could lead to significant property damage, injuries or even fatalities.
Legal defense options
If you are a college student who has been accused of criminal activity, or if you’re a parent and you are worried about your child’s future, take the time to carefully look into all of their legal defense options. Remember that a conviction at this age can have a major impact on their life, so you need to know exactly what steps to take at this time.
