New College Students Especially At Risk For Sex Assaults

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- First- and second-year college students are especially at risk for sexual assault during a time period known as the "red zone," according to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office.

The months of September and October are known as the red zone, when young women between the ages of 18 and 20 in their freshmen and sophomore years of college are most at risk for sexual assault.

"They're young. Their judgment is driven by peers and interactions, and they haven't had a lot of time to practice how to keep themselves safe," Gina Castro Rodriguez, Chief of Victim's Services for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office told KCBS.

"Drugs and alcohol cloud judgment, they impair decision-making, and they can play a role in someone not keeping themselves as safe as they could have been if they were not using," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez makes clear drugs and alcohol are no reason for abuse or assault—should assaults occur—Patricia Barragan says the goal is to offer assistance to empower victims.

Barragan says the right services can help for an assault to become a moment in time, rather than something that defines a life.