Georgia Looks at Changing Prosecution Process for Campus Felonies
The Georgia House of Representatives passed a bill that requires campus officials to report crimes to campus or local law enforcement, with the exception of health providers and counselors.
House Bill 51 states that investigation of a reported felony will not “be undertaken by the post-secondary institution unless such investigation is done by a campus law enforcement agency staffed by law enforcement officers who are certified peace officers by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.”
The bill encompasses all felonies but only singles out sexual assault cases. When the crime involves sexual assault, the victim is not required to cooperate in investigations or have their name specified in reports. However, no student will be placed under interim punishment pending the investigation for conduct violations without a hearing for the accused student.
Law enforcement decides whether to inform the proper prosecutor’s office of the crime and post-secondary schools are not permitted to conduct their investigation until law enforcement has completed their own.
Read more: http://evans.allongeorgia.com/georgia-looks-at-changing-prosecution-process-for-campus-felonies/