What Types of Criminal Charges Do College Students Commonly Face?

 Posted on July 09,2019 in Criminal Defense

With over 75 four-year colleges and universities in the state, Tennessee has thousands of college students. It is very common for students to test their limits, since they are experiencing their first taste of freedom from the rules and discipline of their parents. Crimes committed while in college can be accidental if students are not from the state in which their university is located and are unfamiliar with the state’s laws. For instance, a young adult from Colorado who smokes marijuana may not realize that all forms of cannabis intake are illegal in Tennessee. Students can avoid accidentally making a costly mistake by familiarizing themselves with the laws of the state in which their college is located.

Criminal Charges for College Students

There are some crimes that college students tend to be accused of, no matter the state in which their school is located. Some common crimes that college students may be charged with include:

1. Sexual Offenses: Rape and sexual assault awareness have increased as more and more students speak up about their experiences. According to the Office for Victims of Crime, the number of rape accusations reported by college students has more than tripled since 2005. All forms of rape are considered a felony, with the lowest charge under Tennessee law being punishable one to six years in prison and fines up to $3,000.

2. Aggravated Assault: This form of assault involves a person intentionally or knowingly committing an assault that causes serious bodily injury to another person or while using or displaying a deadly weapon. If strangulation or death occurs, this is also considered aggravated assault. These types of offenses have actually seen a decrease in recent years. However, the numbers are still high, with more than 5,000 incidents being reported in 2014. Aggravated assault is a felony in Tennessee, and it may result in up to 15 years in prison and fines up to $10,000, depending on the felony class.

3. Robbery: Thefts and robberies are the third most reported campus crimes. This type of crime has also seen a slight decrease since 2005, although more than 4,000 incidents were reported in 2014. Robberies are considered a Class C felony in Tennessee, resulting in three to 15 years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

Contact a Knox County Criminal Defense Lawyer

College students may feel like they are removed from the real world, but criminal charges are very real, and the legal consequences of these charges can be incredibly serious. While these formative years can be a good time for a person to make mistakes and learn from them, a criminal arrest or conviction while attending a university can follow someone for the rest of their life. At the law firm of Jeffrey Coller, Knoxville Criminal Defense Attorney, our skilled attorneys have experience defending against a wide variety of criminal charges. If you are a college student facing accusations of criminal activity, or if your child has been accused of a crime while at school, contact our Knoxville, TN university student criminal defense attorneys at 865-281-1000 for a free consultation.

Sources:

https://advance.lexis.com/api/document/collection/statutes-legislation/id/50J2-V490-R03K-D3CN-00008-00?cite=Tenn.%20Code%20Ann.%20%C2%A7%2039-13-102&context=1000516

https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw2017/images/en_artwork/Fact_Sheets/2017NCVRW_SchoolCrime_508.pdf

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tbi/documents/Definitions%20of%20Tennessee%20Sexual%20Offenses%20and%20Violent%20Sexual%20Offenses.pdf

https://web.utk.edu/~scheb/overview.html

https://advance.lexis.com/api/document/collection/statutes-legislation/id/50J2-V490-R03K-D3F5-00008-00?cite=Tenn.%20Code%20Ann.%20%C2%A7%2039-13-401&context=1000516