Early in Jon Krakauer's new book, Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, he describes how an attempt by the University of Montana in 2012 to help two campus sexual assault victims may have allowed the suspect to flee the country before he could be caught by police.
The university did many things right in complying with federal antidiscrimination and campus safety laws: it kept the victims' identities confidential, it moved swiftly to begin holding the student accused of assault accountable and it sent a campus safety alert, warning students that the assaults had occurred. It did not, however, contact local police, who would have had the power to confiscate the suspect's passport before he boarded a plane back to Saudi Arabia.
Krakauer's book primarily tells the story of a rash of nonstranger sexual assaults involving University of Montana students and athletes -- and how their cases were mishandled in the football-loving college town. It also illustrates the often dysfunctional relationship between local law enforcement and campus officials and the competing priorities they face when dealing with campus sexual assault.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/04/24/new-book-details-u-montanas-citys-mishandling-sexual-assault