The League of Women Voters is hosting a community panel in St. Paul next week about the prevalence of sexual assault, how the crimes are investigated and what can be done to improve prosecution.

The “Start By Believing” panel will include Ramsey County Attorney John Choi; Nicole Matthews, Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition executive director; Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell; Sarah Colford, a sexual assault survivor and board member with Break the Silence; and Jennifer Bjorhus, a Star Tribune reporter.

Matthews and Schnell sat on a panel convened by then-Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, which recommended in December that lawmakers take action to overhaul how police respond to sexual assault cases.

The panel will be 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the St. Paul Neighborhood Network studios, 550 Vandalia St., Suite 170, in St. Paul. A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. with light refreshments served.

SPNN will broadcast the discussion live and it will also be rebroadcast at later dates. The event is free, but registration is required at http://bit.ly/LWVpanel due to space limitations.