By now, I'm sure you've heard the shocking details of former Stanford student Brock Turner's trial and sentencing. You may have read the heart-wrenching letter written by his victim, in which she gives harrowing details of the night her life was ripped apart. You may also have read the letter written by Brock Turner's father, Dan Turner, in which he begged the judge for leniency on his son, stating that Brock's life has been a mess since the January night when he brutally raped an unconscious woman. This letter was the most shocking to me. How can his father stand there and blatantly condone the crime his son has committed? How can he allow his son to play the victim? Even more shocking was the final sentencing for the crime. Turner received only six months in prison, on the basis that more time would have a "severe impact" on him.
How can a judge and jury in good standing pass such a sentence on a man who destroyed a young woman's sense of security possibly forever? It is for reasons like this that rape continues to be a growing issue in the United States. People see rape as being the woman's fault, as they did in Turner's case. Turner's attorney constantly accused his victim of eagerly consenting to sexual activity with Turner. If she had eagerly consented, she wouldn't have been rushed to the hospital with multiple abrasions and cuts on every inch of her body. It is never the victim's fault that they are raped. It is always the perpetrator's fault and people need to start realizing this.
Brock Turner was not the victim in this case. He was not the one who will suffer for years to come. He was the one who caused the damage. He was the one who decided to take advantage of an unconscious woman. He should pay for what he did. Instead, he's given only a six-month sentence. He was given this sentence because he shows promise in his future. So what! What is that saying to other potential rapists out there? That as long as they show good behavior and promise, they will get off free.
Brock Turner's "promising future" should never have been brought into the trial. The focus of the trial should've been the pain and suffering he caused to his victim, who wishes to remain anonymous. Turner destroyed her life that day. She lost her sense of security and her sense of trust. She will forever be scarred by what he did to her. So you tell me, who is the real victim here? The swimmer with the promising future or the young girl he took advantage of? No one should have to experience that kind of abuse and then watch their attacker get no more than six months. Brock Turner deserved so much more than what he got, but as long as the judicial system continues to treat rape as nothing more than a petty crime, women will continue to face this issue. This is not the world I want my sister and my future daughters to grow up in. Something needs to be done to change this before it happens again.
