With a shooting occurring just down the street from Stockton AC housing and faulty fire alarm systems that have forced people out into dangerous weather conditions, with a lack of communication from Stockton on both ends, it is no surprise that issues of safety and security on campus continue to persist, especially surrounding how security issues are documented and communicated. At the end of 2023, Stockton campus police released their yearly crime report which reflected unsavory trends that emphasize an existing problem surrounding safety and security. Within the report, there are serious issues of domestic violence, harassment, and sexual assault/criminal sexual contact, theft, and criminal mischief. About 55 cases were related to harassment, 38 for domestic abuse, about 19 involved sexual assault or criminal sexual contact, 57 cases related to theft and burglary, and 23 criminal mischief. Domestic violence, harassment, and criminal sexual contact overlapped within a few cases. Theft, burglary, and criminal mischief also overlapped as well.

Of those cases, the number of cases closed for sexual harassment included about half (22 cases total), the number of assault and criminal sexual contact cases that were closed was even less than that (3 cases). In regards to domestic violence, less than half (9) of the cases were closed. Even more of an issue is how about more than half of the cases for sexual assault and criminal sexual contact involved no investigation to begin with (14) due to the victim’s wishes.

Regarding cases related to theft and criminal mischief, the number of cases closed for theft were around 18.  About 33 cases are under investigation. About 6 of the theft and burglary cases were found to be unfounded. In relation to criminal mischief, 16 cases are being investigated, 1 ended in arrest, the others are reported as closed. 

In discussion with Adrian Wiggins, Director of Public Safety, about reporting on campus, he clarified, “Much of the statistical data that we get regarding crime reports, or regarding criminality, comes through the way of a campus security authority reporting it to us and not a complainant directly reporting it to us. So notwithstanding, every person that comes into our department that reports a crime, their particular case is handled with the sensibility and sensitivity required to try and get to the facts of that particular case. So, because we have very few instances of criminality that’s reported directly to us, we tend to follow up on these reports in a rapid fashion unless those reports would require us to refer that particular incident to something like student conduct or human resources for some type of mediation or adjudication.” 

Further, cases reported as closed usually refer to administrative action. The example provided by Wiggins was, “If they solve the case because John Doe and his roommate Jim Doe got into a physical altercation or John Doe was assaulted by Jim Doe, if one assaulted the other and there’s probable cause for the arrest, and the officer can arrest, that case is closed. Now, it may not be closed from a student conduct perspective. There still may be some things out there that the case has to go through; some type of due process to reduce the conduct or could be an administrative action through the university if it’s an employee. The case may not be closed from their perspective, but from the perspective of the law enforcement officer, once he or she makes that arrest, that case is effectively closed unless there’s some ancillary crime associated with that case that would require them to leave that case open and continue an investigation.”

Is it not misleading then to report a case as closed when a case is still technically under investigation; even if the investigation is occurring under another avenue not through law enforcement?

In regards to reporting of domestic violence and harassment, Wiggins clarified that, “For the most part those are a variety of roommate disputes. And because of how the statute is written, any two people that get into a certain kind of disagreement and cohabitate, it’s domestic violence. So, it’s somewhat misleading at times, but we have to categorize it as domestic violence because that’s what the state calls it. But 9 times out of 10, it’s a roommate dispute. It’s a disagreement between two students where one student and another student are working on a project and one student doesn’t have the coping skills to resolve conflict. And so, many of those cases get referred because our colleagues are more adept at assisting students with roommate disputes and conflict resolution.”

With a report that includes public information, shouldn’t the language reflect the crimes that are occurring in a more detailed way that best reflects the nuances between those crimes? Shouldn’t there be better language to encompass how different roommate disputes are from the physical and sexual violence associated with widely accepted ideas of domestic violence?

In the same vein, another interesting aspect of the report is that it does not use the word rape even within the report. Instead, they refer to these cases as “criminal sexual contact”. When discussing rape in particular, it is not uncommon for people to use passive language. To forget that these are violent acts against a person, and not something that happens in passing to them. The language of the report should call the violence for what it is: Rape.

One explanation that was provided by Professor Erbaugh about this phrasing is because of conflicting interests. Primarily, “criminal sexual contact” best appeases the law, specifically the Clery Act, the university, as well as is broad enough to describe a range of violent acts which might not fall under stereotypical views of penetrative rape. This could make it easier for those reporting. The language of rape still is very stigmatized in the types of acts that it can be applied to. So, this is indicative of a larger cultural issue rather than a Stockton specific issue.

The report also reflects a trend of how victims of criminal sexual contact and assault did not want to pursue an investigation. In regards to why those affected by domestic violence or sexual assault may be unwilling to endure an investigation, Teresa Barone, Assistant Director and Primary Advocate of the Women’s Gender and Sexuality center, provided, “The most common barriers I’ve seen are social and mental health related. Students often fear social repercussions in their friend groups or with other interpersonal relationships if they report an incident. Additionally, because of the traumatic nature of Title IX related offenses, some students feel deterred from reporting because they are concerned about the impact on their mental health. Some students also have past experiences that have impacted their trust in authority figures or institutional processes which at times can deter them from reporting. The advocacy work we do at the WGSC attempts to help students overcome their barriers in reporting.”

The biggest response to how students, faculty, and administration can better respond to instances of sexual assault, domestic violence and harassment has been primarily through the advocacy of education. Not just panels and forums, but in the classrooms themselves. Professors within the Criminal Justice Program and the Women’s Gender and Sexuality minor offer courses such as “Peer Education on Interpersonal Violence” and “Sexual Assault: Victims and Perpetrators” which discuss these topics. “Peer Education on Interpersonal Violence”, taught by our very own Teresa Barone, “educates students on the basics of interpersonal violence, relationship dynamics and intervention and prevention practices. It also teaches peer education skills through experiential learning so students who complete the course have the tools to develop and implement prevention strategies at Stockton.” As Barone describes, “When community members understand how to define interpersonal violence incidents, spot red flags, report incidents and support survivors, it gives us the power to shift the culture. We can establish healthy behavioral expectations, participate in bystander intervention and provide support to those who have been victimized.”