As a part of the Pennsylvania Department of Education's “It's On Us PA” program, 1.4 million dollars in grants has been allocated to help fight sexual violence in the state's colleges and universities. The funding boost aims to prevent and ultimately end sexual violence by improving resources, awareness, and safety on 37 different post-secondary campuses.

While ending sexual violence is certainly an admirable cause, the downside of having more resources to process these crimes is that there are now more opportunities for young adults to be falsely accused — a situation that can derail a student's life. If you are a student or juvenile who has been charged with a sex crime in Pennsylvania — regardless of your alleged guilt or innocence — do not hesitate to reach out for legal help. The Criminal Defense Team at LLF Law Firm has experience in these matters and would be happy to discuss your case. Call 888-535-3686 or fill out our online form today.

It's On Us PA: The Details

Under the It's On Us PA campaign, the Department of Education will distribute about 60,000 to each participating institution. The schools will be responsible for addressing the following goals:

• Improve the institutional systems surrounding sexual violence prevention, reporting, and response
• Create a consistent and victim-friendly reporting system that breaks down the barriers preventing sexual violence survivors from reporting incidents or accessing resources
• Challenge the school's administrators, faculty, staff, and students to be proactive in changing the culture

As you can see, this guidance is a bit vague. It's unclear how each of the 37 participating schools plan to go about accomplishing these objectives, but it's possible that it will include more personnel, expanded resources, or a beefed-up Title IX department. The hope is that the increase in funding will be more than just a token gesture and will actually affect positive and lasting change.

Will There Be Side Effects?

While we can't say anything for certain until It's On Us PA has been fully implemented, these types of initiatives can lead to some unexpected situations. Most students will be affected in a positive way, to be sure. However, a small number of students may find themselves on the end of aggressive sex crime accusations and unfair charges; when the expectation is that sexual violence will be taken more seriously, there are bound to be cases where that goes a step too far.

College students or juveniles who find themselves on the wrong side of sexual violence allegations do not have the luxury of waiting around. Title IX cases are taken very seriously in Pennsylvania, and this new campaign will only increase the urgency of assigning guilt to those who have been accused.

LLF Law Firm Is Here to Help

Whether you are guilty or innocent of the offense you've allegedly committed, you deserve excellent representation and a fair shot in the criminal justice system. For a consultation with LLF Law Firm's Criminal Defense Team, contact us today at 888-535-3686 or by filling out our online form.