I, like many others, was sickened and horrified to hear the details of the Stanford rape case earlier this year. I was sickened and horrified to hear of the pathetic sentence that was handed down. I was sickened and horrified to hear that little was being done at Stanford to keep this from happening again. I was sickened and horrified to hear the way some people talked about the victim, about Brock Turner - the rapist - about the two men who saved the victim. I was sickened and horrified to learn that Turner – the rapist – was released from prison last week after a three month sentence.
Justice was defiled in this case, in many ways. But I think the biggest travesty out of this entire case is the message that it sends. This case had national and international coverage. If it had been handled properly, it could’ve showed millions of people that sexual assaults and rapes are not tolerated in this country, that we are not lenient on rapists, and that we support sexual assault victims coming forward for justice. Instead, it silenced victims and just proved the long supported case that assaulting, raping, and destroying another individual is not a serious crime.
I would argue that a majority of people in this world will experience sexual harassment or assault at some point in their lives, whether it’s being grabbed inappropriately without consent, being pressured to move at a pace you’re not comfortable with sexually, or being raped behind a dumpster after a party. It happens to some of us without us even realizing it, and it happens far too frequently. This type of harassment and treatment does not come without its share of damaging blows. It can be as simple as feeling unclean or creeped out, or more complex, like not trusting people anymore and contemplating suicide. No act of sexual harassment or assault occurs without some sort of mental, physical, or emotional damage, even if it only lasts briefly.
Some people will never come forward with their experiences. That is their choice. But some victims want to; they want to see their rapist convicted and sentenced, they want justice for themselves, they want closure. But it’s scary. By coming forward, the victim takes the risk of being bombarded with attention, both positive and negative. They also take the risk of seeing their rapist go free. What’s the point of going through the additional emotional trauma of a trial if the rapist is going to go free or serve a pathetic sentence?
Is that really the message we as a society want to send? That if someone defiles you, your son or daughter, your friend, your significant other, your grandchild, they’re going to be let off with a slap on the wrist at the very most. That because someone comes from a white collar background, is a successful athlete, and attends an Ivy League university they are exempt from actual punishment when they commit a crime. That their livelihood is more important than what the victim went through.
If you’re a decent person, you are answering no to all of those questions. But listen. Releasing Turner – a rapist – from prison after three months – heck, sentencing him to only six months in the first place – is sending that message. It is saying to sexual assault victims, “Don’t come forward. It’s not going to do any good anyway.” It is saying to potential rapists. “Go for it. You won’t suffer long term.” It is not promoting justice, it is promoting privilege.
Brock Turner, you are a rapist. You damaged another human being mentally, physically, and emotionally. You should not be returning home, you should be spending another 13 years locked up in a cell. Your actions and release from prison have done more damage to the future of this type of case than you probably realize. I can only hope that the next time somebody like you is called out and tried for the crimes that they have committed, justice prevails and a new stigma is created.
