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The Evolution of College and University Campus Security in the United States: Congressional Legislation, Administrative Directives, and Policing

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Abstract

The history of institutions of higher education (IHE) in the United States reveals that criminal victimization, ranging from sexual assault to physical assaults to harassment to thefts, have been part of the collegiate life since the founding of the first colleges in New England during the colonial era to recent Carnegie Foundation estimates of over 4440 IHEs. For decades IHEs dealt with the security of their respective campus and students with little oversight or accountability to the federal government. This changed in 1990 when Congress passed and George H.W. Bush signed into law the Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act (renamed the Clery Act) mandating Title IV financial aid eligible IHEs to publicly disclose an annual security report with their annual crime statistics and security policies. The Clery Act set in motion continued federal legislation over the last 25 years that has focused on improving campus security and students’ safety, including a White House Task to Protect Students from Sexual Assault during the Obama Administration. Interest in preventing and responding to campus victimization has continued through the Trump Administration, including proposed changes in IHEs’ response to a report of sexual harassment and sexual violence.

This chapter will:

  • track the evolution of campus security mandates by the US federal government,

  • describe the safety and security measures implemented by IHEs to address campus criminal victimization, and

  • take stock of the campus security mandates and safety and security measures directed at reducing criminal victimization among college students.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Bonnie S. Fisher & Michelle E. Protas

  2. Wadsworth, OH, USA

    Logan J. Lanson

  3. University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    John J. Sloan III

Authors
  1. Bonnie S. Fisher
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  2. Michelle E. Protas
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  3. Logan J. Lanson
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  4. John J. Sloan III
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bonnie S. Fisher .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Perpetuity Research, Tunbridge Wells, UK

    Martin Gill

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Fisher, B.S., Protas, M.E., Lanson, L.J., Sloan, J.J. (2022). The Evolution of College and University Campus Security in the United States: Congressional Legislation, Administrative Directives, and Policing. In: Gill, M. (eds) The Handbook of Security. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91735-7_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91735-7_19

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-91734-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-91735-7

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