“You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me…”, said your victim. You were found guilty of three counts of assault. You were supposed to get a maximum of fourteen years in jail, but instead you were sentenced to six months with three years of probation. In the past few days, it was announced you were only going to serve only three. The judge was concerned that serving a longer sentence would have a severe impact on you, but what about the impact on your victim? Have you even thought about what it would be like to be her?
The judgement of your sentence is sending the wrong message across America. Your case is showing that if someone gets intoxicated and commits rape, they won’t serve a long sentence and will receive minimal penalty. Do you understand how serious rape is? You penetrated a woman without her consent, and to make matters worse she was unconscious along with behind a dumpster. She awoke in the hospital with bruises cascaded across her body and pine needles in her hair.
When the report came out about what happened to your victim on that night, they included your swimming records; as if your accomplishments made a difference in the situation. Your reputation might be ruined, you may have lost your swimming scholarship, but your victims’ life will never be the same again because of you. Your father says your sentence is too much for “20 minutes of action,” but it’s not enough. You may have both been intoxicated, you may have only gotten 20 minutes, but she was unconscious behind a dumpster. You were sober enough to run away when you had been found assaulting your victim. If you were intoxicated enough to not remember how you got to the dumpster or if she had given you consent, how did you manage to run; without falling or tripping, away from your victim? Something just doesn't make sense here.
I think the worst part of your story is that you can't even bother to apologize, you feel no remorse. You only feel you are guilty for the consumption of alcohol. You think you’re fixing the problem speaking on the culture of campus drinking. I think everyone should understand the seriousness of drinking, but you’re speaking on this subject because it took away your scholarship and enrollment. You provide no mention of how your victim felt and the impact it had on her. Do you realize that your life wasn’t the only one ruined in this situation? You raped an innocent woman whose name you didn’t even know. She will forever be haunted by the events that happened that night and you can't even be bothered to apologize to her.
Brock Turner, I hope you come to terms with the wrongdoings you’ve committed. I hope your sentence, although cut short, gives you time to think about the innocent woman you assaulted.
Join the It’s On Us Campaign that aims to protect women and men from sexual assault. Through It’s On Us anyone can pledge to be a part of the solution, not the problem.
