Brock Turner, a former swimmer at Stanford University, has been in the national news a good bit over the past few years, but he still hasn't received proper punishment for what he's done. In case you missed it, Turner was convicted of sexual assault and the intent to commit rape of an intoxicated/unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person. A detailed description of the assault and events surrounding Turner's actions can be read here.
Following Turner's trial in 2016, he was sentenced to 6 months in a county jail, after prosecutors asked for 6 years in a state prison.
Yes, you read that right. He received only 6 MONTHS for sexual assault charges. To make this even better, Turner only served 3 of the 6 months and got out on "good behavior" and because the jail was overcrowded.
Are you pissed off yet? Because I'm furious.
You'd think this case would be straight to the point. There were two witnesses that tackled Turner as he tried to get away from the scene of the assault. The victim was unconscious behind a dumpster when the police found her. She delivered this heartbreaking letter to Turner and the court at his sentencing. Now fast forward to 2018: Brock Turner's lawyers argue their appeal for the 2015 sexual assault case.
It makes me sick to my stomach to think of this entire situation. Brock Turner: an (ex) Division I athlete, an (ex) student of Stanford University, Caucasian, male, and has a father that tried to cover up for his son's actions. This is the epitome of white privilege. His assault was described by his own father as "20 minutes of action" and that he shouldn't go to jail. I call bullshit.
Then, Judge Aaron Persky only sentenced this monster to 6 months in prison, to which he only served 3. The happy ending to that is that he got booted from office back in June. However, Turner's lawyers still thought they could argue an appeal for his three convictions... How cute! The appeal was denied on August 8th, and Turner has to register as a sex offender for life. But honestly, I don't think that's enough.
America has some sort of twisted way of thinking to protect the rapists instead of victims.
Turner's case is just a glimpse of how America's judicial system treats sexual assault and rape cases. If Turner were to have a different skin color, I can guarantee he'd be spending more than 6 years in jail. While Turner's jail sentence is finished, he must still complete three years of probation when he returns to Ohio. He will enter a sex offender management program for at least one year or as long as three. But I think we can all agree that this is the "easy way out". Turner was let off the hook because of his age and lack of criminal history.
While this case pisses me off to no ends, and Turner should not only rot in state prison but in hell for his actions, there seems to be no change in how our country sees these cases -- through gender, race, and social class of rapists.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault and/or rap, don't hesitate to contact the National Sexual Assualt Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
