In case you haven't heard about it yet, Brock Turner is a student at Stanford University who was recently charged with three crimes, including the attempted rape of a drunk and unconscious woman at a party on campus.
When the victim came forward in court, to directly address her abuser, she stated that the case was affected by Brock's male and class privilege. To the public, this seems to ring true, because other recent rape cases have resulted in much longer jail sentences. None of the attackers in those situations had the money and resources that Turner did, to pull together a legal team that could help him get a minimal sentence. During the trial, the prosecution dropped two charges of rape, leaving the three charges including attempted rape.
The case sparked outrage in the public when a judge sentenced Turner to six months of jail and three years of probation for the crime. In the state of California, rape is usually punished with a sentence of three, six, or eight years, depending on the case, and sometimes accompanied by a fine. Turner escaped with far below the minimum sentence of three years, and this sets a dangerous precedent for future rape cases in the state.
His father complained that Brock's life had been ruined for "20 minutes of action." Among the other ridiculous defenses that came out during the trial, Turner's attorney claimed the cold air gave him an erection. Turner himself recently released a second statement on the crime, in which he blamed the Stanford party culture for his actions. They have spent their entire time downplaying the rape to ensure that Brock would still have a chance at a normal life, but to them, I ask: What about the life of the woman he raped? While she remains anonymous and not bothered by the media, her life will never be the same. Her scars will remain, and why should Brock be able to live life normally if his victim won't be able to?
In recent news, it was announced that Turner's already short sentence would be cut in half. He is set to be released from prison on September 2, which would have him spending only three months in prison.
Brock Turner's attorney often emphasized how Turner regretted his actions and how he would forever be affected because of how this changed his chance to be an Olympic swimmer. In Turner's new statement, he also mentioned how his future was ruined by this conviction, as if he was expecting sympathy from others. In my opinion, when you rape someone, or commit another sex crime, you give up the right to what you want in life, and you definitely give up the sympathy of others.
The good news is, Brock Turner's jail time is not the only consequence. He is banned from the Stanford campus. An unofficial consequence is the media outreach and the fact that most people on the Internet know his name and what he has done. We must never forget about him and never let him forget his atrocious acts.
This case has been such an outrage for the public because it perpetuates rape culture, therefore not discouraging future rapists. Brock Turner was able to avoid a much longer sentence because he had the money and resources to hire excellent lawyers. If you can get away with anything when you have the right lawyers, then what is the point of a court system? Punishment for crime is meant to hold people accountable, but that cannot happen when criminals buy their way out of the consequences. There needs to be a precedent set for no tolerance for sexual violence, against men or women, but this case did the opposite. By taking a man convicted of three crimes, the most serious of which was attempted rape, and letting him out of jail early from his rare short sentence, the court is setting an example that future sex offenders will be let off easily.
Although Stanford and other universities are taking steps to control sexual assault on campus, there is no effort being made in the courts to reduce the rate of sexual assault. The courts will set the most effective example of what happens to sex offenders, but they are not doing what is necessary to set a precedent of no tolerance for sex crimes.
In the future, I want to live in a world where sex crimes are not tolerated at all. I want to see a drop in sex crimes, and eventually have them disappear, but this cannot happen when the law continues to treat sex offenders well. In a world where money can buy you an escape from consequences for anything, nobody is held accountable for their actions, and this must change for us to end rape culture.
