Anti-Hazing Prosecution In Tallahassee

Bob Carroll

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College campuses should not be centers of hazing. I applaud the Tallahassee prosecutor who is doing his part to end the practice in our state.

The Associated Press has the story:

Trial Puts Fla. Anti-Hazing Law to Test

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --

In the first major courtroom test of the state's anti-hazing law, a prosecutor Wednesday described for jurors how an aspiring Florida A&M University fraternity member was pummeled with boxing gloves so hard he briefly lost his hearing.

But defense attorneys for the five fraternity brothers accused in the case claim the student was not seriously hurt.

"They beat Marcus Jones with canes so severely he needed surgery to remove a blood clot from his buttocks and also they punched him wearing boxing gloves to the point he temporarily lost hearing," prosecutor Frank Allman said in his opening statement.

The case is the first significant challenge for one of the nation's toughest anti-hazing laws. The law makes hazing a felony, with punishments of probation up to five years in prison if it results in serious bodily injury or death.

Forty-four states have anti-hazing laws, but experts say Florida is one of the few that has made it a serious criminal offense. The law was inspired by the 2001 death of an 18-year-old during rush week at the University of Miami.