California Lawmaker Proposes 2 Year Minimum Suspension for Students Who Commit Sexual Assault
ByAlready considered to be at the forefront of campus sexual assault policy, California is considering a bill requiring a minimum punishment for perpetrators.
According to the Huffington Post, a Calif. lawmaker proposed legislation requiring schools in the state to suspend any student found responsible of sexual assault for at least two years. Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown has already signed into law the first "Yes Means Yes" bill in the country, which was supported by two of the state's school systems.
Like the "Yes Mean Yes" legislation, Assembly Bill 967 is the first of its kind: a state law with a minimum punishment for sexual assault offenders in college.
"This will provide more certainty that at least there will be a measure of justice, that [victims] will not have to deal with the perpetrator on campus all the time," Das Williams (D), the Calif. assembly member who drafted the bill, told the HP.
The University of California (UC) system has implemented a "Yes Means Yes" sexual consent policy, which does not accept the absence of opposition as consent for sexual activity. The California State University system seems on track to adopt a similar policy as well, as have a number of other states and institutions across the U.S.
"One of the really big problems we've seen is perpetrators getting slaps across the wrist," Sofie Karasek, a senior at UC-Berkeley and sexual assault activist, told the HP. "Schools need to send the message that it's not OK to perpetrate these crimes against other students or anyone."
The U.S. Education Department is currently investigating more than 100 schools for potential Title IX and Clery Act violations. Improperly investigating and adjudicating cases of sexual misconduct and assault falls under Title IX, the federal gender equity law.
On a college campus, students are not found guilty of crimes, but are deemed "responsible" or "not responsible." Especially in cases of sex crimes, colleges have gained a reputation for punishing students found responsible too softly.
"One of the things I saw too often was the accountability was too light - suspensions were for a very small period of time," Williams said. "I'm not saying two years is enough, but let's set a minimum."
