This past spring saw the heinous trial of the Stanford student Brock Turner. The whole country had its eyes on the young college swimmer who was being accused of sexual assault on several different accounts. The process was brutal and his victim was brutally torn apart on the stand. In the end, all the pain and stress resulted in a pathetic six-month sentence out of a suggested six years. Although this victory was small, it was enough to convince people that Turner would have to answer for his actions-- that is, until a few weeks ago when he was released after only serving half of his original sentence.
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This case has made it apparent that we live in a country where rape and sexual assault are not taken seriously. According to RAINN, only 6 of every 1,000 rapes will result in incarceration. Even if the perpetrator does go to jail, the sentences are far less severe than that of other crimes, particularly if the accused is a minority. There are people who spend good portions of their lives in prison for possession of marijuana, but this boy served three months for completely destroying a young woman's life. Rape is not something you just walk away from and many prosecutors seem to miss that.
Despite the clear injustice that is occurring, the Turner case has opened conversation about how we handle sexual assault in our society. Since the sentencing, the state of California has passed a law that changes what they view as "rape". According to Reuter's, incidents like Turner's where the victim was unconscious and unable to provide consent did not classify as rape. Due to the outrage over this case, legislators have proposed a new bill to help protect the right's of victims
So although this case has been an absolute travesty, there is some good coming out of it. The important thing now is to keep the momentum going, Nothing is going to be resolved if people stop talking about serious issues like this. There is strength in knowledge and in our voices, but the moment we forget that is the moment society reaches a standstill. We can't let the lessons we have learned from this incident die out. It would be a disservice to ourselves and to the countless who are affected by sexual assault every day.
To learn more about the Brock Turner case, please feel free to visit my previous article The Stanford Rapist or, if you would like to learn how to get involved, visit RAINN for more information.
