Attorney General Candidates Duck

For John, BLUF:  The Justice system is more messed up than you think.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From the print edition of The Boston Globe we have an interesting article from Reporter David Scharfenberg, of the Globe Staff.  The subject is the debate between Democrat Mass Attorney General candidates Warren Tolman and Maura Healey.  It can be found here on the Internet.

Early on the subject of rape on college campuses came up.  Rape is a serious issue on college campuses.  Young men and women, with high hormone levels, can get into situations they shouldn't.  Drinking only adds to the chances of improper conduct.  Then there is the impact of groups egging on their compadres.  And, remember, that rape is not limited to men attacking women.  It can be men on men or even, in some rare cases, women on men.

Here are some paragraphs from the article:

Tolman pledged to convene a summit with Massachusetts colleges, pressing them to address the headline-grabbing crisis more aggressively. “We will lead here in Massachusetts when I am attorney general and, you know what, other states will follow,” he said.

But Healey said convening meetings won’t solve the crisis.

“You solve campus sexual assault by giving schools the resources they need — rape crisis counseling centers, forensic investigators, relationships with police and district attorneys that are working so that people can come forward,” she said.

The question we should be asking is why Campus Administrations deal with rape, rather than having the allegations turned over to local police.  Is DUI adjudicated by the college or university?  What about vehicular homicide?  Murder?  Mass murder?

I take the campus adjudicating rape to be a sign that schools, for whatever reason, don't want these cases coming to public attention.  Thus, they have created their own legal system, based upon an assumption of agreement on the part of the students, based upon the act of enrollment.♠

I believe every candidate for Attorney General should be explicit in saying that if it is rape, then the case should be turned over the local police.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  I wonder what it means for those of us enrolled in Continuing Education?  Am I subject to such kangaroo courts?