The Clery Act
The University of Alabama works to ensure the campus community receives the necessary training and resources to fulfill our obligations set by the Clery Act.
In 1986, Jeanne Clery, a freshman at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, was sexually assaulted and murdered by another student. In light of other violent crimes that occurred in the surrounding area, Jeanne’s parents advocated that institutions of higher education had a responsibility to be more transparent about local crime details.
Signed into law in 1990, the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, aims to provide transparency around campus crime policy and statistics, and to provide timely information to heighten the safety of the campus community. In 2024, the act was renamed the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, and is commonly referred to as the Clery Act.
The Clery Act requires higher education institutions that receive federal funds to comply with numerous policies and procedures related to the safety and security of their campus and community. Failure to comply with the Clery Act can result in large financial repercussions mandated by the Department of Education.
Institutions are required to publish annual Campus Security Reports that include the previous three years’ worth of certain crime and fire statistics. These incidents are reported to have occurred in specific locations including: on campus, in or on off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by the school, and on public property within or immediately adjacent to the campus. The UA campus map is available here and within the Annual Security Report.
