Crime in Higher Education

Hate and bias crimes reported on schools and college campuses comprised 10.1 percent of all hate and bias crimes reported throughout the United States in 2001. (Federal Bureau of Investigation. Uniform Crime Reports, Hate Crime Statistics 2001. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)

A National Institute of Justice (NIJ) survey of women attending colleges and universities revealed that 2.9 percent had experienced a complete or attempted rape in the first 7 months of the 1996-1997 school year. Twenty-two percent of the victims reported they were victimized more than once, which raises the incidence rate to 35.3 percent. When this victimization rate is calculated for a twelve month period, it suggests that 4.9 percent of college women experienced a rape or attempted rape in the calendar year. (Bureau of Justice Statistics. December 2000. The Sexual Victimization of College Women. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)

According to the same study, 90 percent of rape victims attending colleges and universities knew the offenders. (Ibid.)

The same NIJ study revealed a stalking incidence rate of 13.1 percent during the first 7 months of the 1996-1997 school year. In 15.3 percent of the cases, victims reported that they were threatened by the stalker and in 10.3 percent of the cases, the stalker attempted or forced sexual contact. (Ibid.)

There were 395 campus-related murders between 1998 and 2000 reported in the statistics supplied to the U.S. Department of Education by security offices at colleges and universities around the country. (Office of Post-Secondary Education. 2002. College and University Campus Crime Statistics, 1998-2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.)

Security offices at colleges and universities reported 199 campus-related crimes of negligent manslaughter in the combined years of 1999 and 2000. There were also 18,761 crimes of aggravated assault in 2000, a substantial increase from the 16,729 crimes of aggravated assault reported in 1999. (Ibid.)

There were 68,486 campus-related burglaries and 31,056 campus-related motor vehicle thefts reported at colleges and universities in 2000. (Ibid.)

Two thousand and eight acts of arson were reported by campus security in 2000, up from 1884 reported acts of arson in 1999. (Ibid.)

Campus security offices reported that 6,765 arrests for illegal weapons possessions were made in 2000, a substantial increase from the 3,554 arrests made in 1999. (Ibid.)