Parents worry about their children when they go off to college, and sadly, their fears may be valid. Unfortunately, crime is a concern at every university and college in the U.S. In fact, tens of thousands of students are the victims of crimes on college campuses every year, according to statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics.
This does not make a crime against your child insignificant. If your child is the victim of a crime at school, then you have every right to take it seriously if it results in damages or injury. This can mean taking legal action against the perpetrator. While legal remedies can’t undo an incident, they can help in a few other ways.
Hold the appropriate party accountable
One of the main reasons victims take legal action after a crime is to ensure the person who committed the crime does not get away with it. In some cases, criminal charges are not filed or they don’t seem harsh enough. A civil claim can add penalties and reinforce the message that there are consequences of criminal actions.
Acknowledge a bigger problem
Taking legal action may be the most effective way to shine a light on an issue that a school may not be addressing adequately. In communities like college campuses, there is a tendency to keep stories contained and resolve them as quietly as possible. Filing a legal claim can shed new light on the issue, which could spark the action necessary to address the bigger problem.
Provide compensation
Victims of crime can experience a variety of damages, from medical bills to treat injuries after an assault to the cost of having to replace stolen property. There can also be emotional damages that may never truly heal. Whatever the damages may be, a lawsuit can help victims and their families recover what has been lost.
Students who engage in assault, robbery or alcohol-related offenses on college campuses may not take their crimes seriously, but it is important that victims and their families do. Crimes can take a considerable toll on victims, and those who have been harmed should not pay the price for someone else’s bad behavior.
