No one gets convicted of campus rape at Florida’s public universities, an analysis of records has found.
In 2012 and 2013, 55 rapes were reported to campus police departments, show records reviewed by the Orlando Sentinel. Arrests were made only in five. Three were dismissed, and two remain open at Florida Gulf Coast University.
The Sentinel also was able to obtain police reports on rapes reported to UCF police from 2005 to 2011. There were 28 cases in those years. Nine led to arrests, but there were no rape convictions.
Police, prosecutors, rape victims’ advocates and social scientists all agree that the numbers show the difficulty of pursuing campus-rape allegations.
“Yeah, they’re tough,” said UCF police Chief Richard Beary. “A lot of the cases, alcohol is involved. That’s one of the big issues. Most of the time, it’s an acquaintance, it’s some type of party, so it doesn’t fall into that, what you see in some jurisdictions, where it’s a stranger attack.”
Nationally and in Florida, concerns about campus rape have exploded. The issue was spotlighted last year when Florida State University star quarterback Jameis Winston was named as a suspect, then cleared in an alleged rape case.
In recent months, studies and White House and congressional reports have declared that campus rape is widespread and that too many colleges do too little to stop it.
For more on this story, visit the Orlando Sentinel.
