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Violent Offenses on DC College Campuses

Below, a DC student defense attorney details the different types of violent crimes that occur on college campuses and what penalties someone accused of one of these crimes may face. To discuss your case or learn more about what you may be facing, call and schedule a consultation today.

Common Violent Crimes on College Campuses

Some of the most common violent crime accusations are for sexual violence, assaults, and physical abuse. Any criminal offense or any action that results in a criminal charge has its own category of a student code of conduct violation called Violation of Law. Even if a violent offense takes place off campus and it doesn’t involve another student or doesn’t involve the university at all, but results in a student being arrested or charged with a D.C. crime, the student’s university can move forward with disciplinary proceedings for the alleged Violation of Law even if it didn’t involve the university directly.

How Can Assault Related Accusations Arise On Campus?

College students are like anyone else, they get into fights. Fights can be in the form of mild pushing and shoving, but they can also sometimes result in people getting seriously injured. Fights can take place between teammates, roommates, people who are romantically involved or in any number of other types of situations. In many situations alcohol may have been involved. Accusations of extreme fraternity hazing may have been involved also. Regardless of the situation, these allegations are taken very seriously by universities since they can cause disruption of the learning environment and an orderly college community.

Consequences of Assault In College

The type of penalties students may face as a result of a violent offense depends on its severity. An assault may be a mild shove to the shoulder, but it can also be a punch to the face that results in broken bones or a concussion. That is why the consequences of being found responsible for a violent offense on campus can include reprimands, disciplinary probations, eviction from student housing, suspension or even expulsion.

Even before a student has been found responsible for a disciplinary violation that includes a violent act, the student can receive certain conditions he or she would have to comply with while an investigation is pending. These conditions can require the student to stay away from and have no contact with an accuser or certain other witnesses. The conditions could also include staying away from certain locations where the accuser may be known to visit.

How an Attorney Can Help

Even though university proceedings don’t necessarily result in criminal charges and expulsion, they can still have significant impact on a student’s ability to graduate on time or to be able to graduate at all.

Especially when there is violent conduct being alleged, these allegations are treated very seriously by universities in Washington, D.C.

Sometimes university hearings can track alongside a connected criminal allegation where the student’s actions in the university proceedings can have an impact on how the criminal proceeding is handled. As a result, having assistance from an experienced attorney who understands the process of specific university’s judicial proceedings and understands how they can impact any possible criminal allegations can be very helpful in minimizing any possible penalties and minimizing any negative impact on a criminal allegation.