Study: college sex crime convictions low

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - A recent study from the Chicago Tribune finds a shockingly low number of sexual assault convictions and arrests for campuses in Indiana and Illinois.

The study surveyed six major universities in the Midwest, including IU and Illinois State.

According to the study, there have been 171 sex crime investigations since 2005 at those campuses.

Just 12 of those resulted in arrests, and only four of them landed in convictions.

News 10 asked local officials if all this rings true in Terre Haute.

The Vigo Prosecutor's office said they actually don't see that many sexual assault cases per year at local campuses.

However, when they do see them, they can tough to prove.

They said it's because there is frequently very little proof, often delving to one person's word over another.

Prosecutor Terry Modesitt also said one of the few cases he's had, may have actually discouraged others from coming forward.

"One of the two cases I can think of, in that particular case that victim wound up recanting later on and said it didn't happen. Well, that causes other victims to lose credibility too, cause the public hears that and is more suspicious of whether they want to believe it or not," Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt said.

The study says that on a national level the ratio between cases and and convictions is better.