This could be considered a part two to my previous article: My Take On The Stanford Rape Case. So, let us recap a bit for anyone catching up on this topic.

Brock Turner was actually caught in the act of raping a woman and sentenced by a Stanford alumnus to six months in jail and three years of probation as to not deter his life too drastically for what his father called "a twenty minute mistake." Yup, that's the gist of it. Breaking down everything that is wrong with how Turner's sentencing went happens in my previous article, as well as some general outrage over the topic.

So, I bet you're wondering "where are we going with this if you've already written about him?"

Well, you see, after a mere three months of his pitiful six month sentence, Turner was released. Just let that sink in and allow the proper amount of outrage to commence. Fifty percent. He served fifty percent. That's not even supposed to be a thing anymore. Eighty-five percent of the time sentenced is supposed to be served with good behavior. Not half. Not that six months was enough time to cover the retribution due to the woman who was attacked in the first place, but apparently that's neither here nor there anyway.

These things really get to me as a Criminal Justice major. I am an optimistic, glass half full, much too trusting, kind of gal and that means I tend to believe that our criminal justice system will do it's best to protect the rights of the citizens equally. So you see, I get pretty bent out of shape when my little fantasy breaks down.

Cases like this are what is wrong with the system. These cases are the reason the populous doesn't have any faith or trust in the courts, and in the government at large. How can we be expected to believe in something so twisted that allows a rapist to go free after three short months because his future is more important than his victim's future.

And this is just speculation, but who is to say that he will not hurt someone again? He's clearly learned that he can get away with such a disgusting act with minute consequences. Now, I'm sure the three months he was away weren't the most exciting of his young life and I'm sure he would rather not experience something like them again if given the choice. But I'm also sure his victim feels the same way and that any potential victims that can come from setting a rapist free will also feel much the same.

An additional thought is how is his life going to be on the outside? To a great extent, the amount of time Turner was sentenced to and served is on the judge, because it clearly has little to do with what his actions were in the first place. Anyway, who wants to be friends with a notorious rapist who has caught national attention? Who wants to hire him? Teach him? Love him? If there's some consolation in this case it would be in the fact that Turner's life back in the real world won't be as pleasant as it once was.

Brock Turner, if you care, I hope you realize what your premature release means to the millions of women in the United States that you may come across in your lifetime. To me it means I'm a little less safe because you and the failing court system have the idea that my rights, women's rights, matter much less than yours.