A panel of authorities spoke to a crowded room on the third floor of the University Center on Monday about sexual assault, crime, punishment and the justice system in a presentation called 'Sexual Assault In Montana, Fact, Fiction and Future'.  

Representative Ellie Hill introduced a panel that included, UM Office of Legal Counsel Lucy France, Department of Justice Prosecutor Joel Thompson, Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst, ACLU Legal Director Jim Thompson and long-time legislator, State Senator Diane Sands.

Thompson and Pabst spoke about the process of charging sexual assault offenders and the challenges in bringing cases to trial. France centered her comments on how the university handles accusations of sexual assault and how they may affect students, while Thompson spoke about the rights of both the victim and the accused in a sexual assault case.

Opening the panel was a humorous video released by the White House and the Department of Justice entitled 'What if Bears Killed One in Four People?' (see video above).

The summit continues through Tuesday on the UM campus.

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