The Aftermath
After Mays and Richmond were released from juvenile detention, they continued on in their daily lives. Mays enrolled at Central State University in Ohio and continued to play football throughout college. Richmond went back to Steubenville High School for his senior year and eventually went to play football for Youngstown State University.
Richmond's enrollment at YSU was met with harsh objection from other students, especially survivors of sexual assault on campus. Rachel, a student at YSU and a sexual assault survivor said, "...education is a right and sports are a privilege. I believe Ma'lik should have been forced to hang up his cleats the night he raped that young girl."
Has Steubenville Changed?
According to many local sources, the answer is no. In 2014, two-and-a-half years after the assault, a reporter went to Steubenville to ask locals about the case and if they feel the town has changed:
“No one is going to talk to you about it. I don’t mean to be disrespectful. You seem like a nice girl. I just want to save you time. No one wants to talk about it,” football player and student, Steubenville High School.
"I'm giving you five minutes to get off my property before I call the police," Administrative officer of Steubenville High School.
No steps have been implemented to prevent sexual assault or support survivors in the community or its school systems. The city remains a hotbed of drug use and violence, with streets remaining empty or violent and the courthouse bustling. When a local woman, whose stepsister attended Steubenville High School at the time, was asked if the town and students’ behavior or attitude changed, she gave an unfortunate response:
“Has it changed the way guys treat girls or approach sex? Not at all,” Jones, says, chuckling, and shakes her head sadly. “Not at all. If anything, things have gotten worse. These guys still do the same disgusting things.”