Priest Abuse Case Could Affect Universities

Conviction could spell trouble for college administrators who don’t report sex crimes against children.

I just came across this article in which a Roman Catholic church official was convicted of child endangerment for mishandling child sex abuse claims. I’m thinking this case could impact college officials who don’t report child sexual abuse.

USA Today is reporting:

Monsignor William Lynn helped the archdiocese keep predators in ministry, and the public in the dark, by telling parishes their priests were being removed for health reasons and then sending the men to unsuspecting churches, prosecutors said.

Lynn, 61, had faced about 10 to 20 years in prison if convicted of all three counts he faced — conspiracy and two counts of child endangerment. He was convicted only on one of the endangerment counts, leaving him with the possibility of 3 1/2 to seven years in prison.

The implications, particularly with the Sandusky case, are pretty ominous for administrators. This is just another reason why campus officials should review their reporting procedures and policies, and report abuse.

Read the full story.

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About the Author

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Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.

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