Clery Act SummarySchools must publish an annual report disclosing campus security policies and three years worth of selected crime statistics. Schools must make timely warnings to the campus community about crimes that pose an ongoing threat to students and employees. Each institution with a police or security department must have a public crime log. The U.S. Department of Education centrally collects and disseminates the crime statistics. Campus sexual assault victims are assured of certain basic rights. Schools that fail to comply can be fined by the DOE. Search Clery Act Campus Crime Statistics Related LawsCampus Sex Crimes Prevention Act Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Drug-Free School and Campuses Act Other ResourcesHow To File A Jeanne Clery Act Complaint Understanding the Jeanne Clery Disclosure Act by Joel C. Epstein (Oct. 2001) "Sex, Crime and Campuses-Complying with Federal Reporting Requirements" Presentation BackgroundCongress Reforms Campus Crime Reporting (1998 amendments) Covering crime on college campuses by S. Daniel Carter (Sept. 2000) "The Campus Security Act-A Tool To Involve The Campus Community In Crime Prevention" by S. Daniel Carter (July 1997) Student Media Guide to the Clery Act (Student Press Law Center) |
Because the law is tied to participation in federal student financial aid programs it applies to most institutions of higher education both public and private. It is enforced by the U.S. Department of Education. The "Clery Act" is named in memory of 19 year old Lehigh University freshman Jeanne Ann Clery (pictured right) who was raped and murdered while asleep in her residence hall room on April 5, 1986. Jeanne's parents, Connie and Howard, discovered that students hadn't been told about 38 violent crimes on the Lehigh campus in the three years before her murder. They joined with other campus crime victims and persuaded Congress to enact this law, which was originally known as the "Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990." The law was amended in 1992 to add a requirement that schools afford the victims of campus sexual assault certain basic rights, and was amended again in 1998 to expand the reporting requirements. The 1998 amendments also formally named the law in memory of Jeanne Clery. The law was most recently amended in 2000 to require schools beginning in 2003 to notify the campus community about where public "Megan's Law" information about registered sex offenders on campus could be obtained. Clery Act Compliance InformationHandbook for Campus Crime Reporting (PDF)
Summary Of The Jeanne Clery Act
Answers To Frequently Asked Questions Clery Act-Statute Text (20 USC § 1092(f))
Clery Act-Implementing Regulations
UCR Handbook (15 MB PDF Document)
UCR Guidance For Residence Hall Burglary Reporting (also available in PDF) Annual Report Checklist (2000 amendments) Clery Act Violators
DISCLAIMER: While this page contains a discussion of general legal principles and specific laws, it is neither intended to be given as legal advice nor as the practice of law, and should not be relied upon by readers as such. Before taking any action, always check with a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction to ensure compliance with the law. |
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act is the landmark federal law, originally known as the Campus Security Act, that requires colleges and universities across the United States to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses.
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