The release of entire transcripts from the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case on the Centre County Courthouse’s media page Friday afternoon revealed a better look into a trial and a case that is continuing to have repercussions for our university community.
Providing insight on many behind-the-scenes elements of the trial, the transcripts contain valuable information that adds context to how the trial played out. With this new information coming out, the Penn State community should still be making sure they’re following along.
Though the verdict was reached earlier in the summer and the initial charges were filed long before, being informed is an ongoing process. Much of the Penn State community kept up with the case over the year and into the summer. But it’s crucial to continue this progression.
There are a number of other ongoing elements surrounding the Sandusky case, and in order to understand any investigations or any future outcomes, it’s vital to understand the case that sits at the center of it all. So as new information comes out, we need to continue to take steps to stay in the loop. Tim Curley and Gary Schultz still have yet to go through their own legal proceedings, and the university is still facing a number of civil suits related to the Sandusky case.
In addition, Penn State is also still subject to a number of investigations.
The Department of Education is reviewing Penn State’s compliance with the Clery Act and examining how Penn State carries out its processes and policies in regard to reporting and response of crimes on campus.
There is also an investigation by the United States Attorney from the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s investigation — which was responsible for the initial grand jury presentments released last year, leading to Sandusky and the other officials’ charges — is also still ongoing. We’d encourage students to take advantage of the public documents available through the Centre County and Dauphin County websites, as well as to use information such as that provided on progress.psu.edu to keep track of the outside agencies now looking at Penn State as a result of the Sandusky case.
The more information we have about these cases, the better understanding we have — and the more informed we are to speak about it with others. As we work to move forward as a university, we can’t move away from understanding that there are still many details yet to come.
Staying up-to-date through it all is crucial to understanding the big picture.
