Dear Brock Turner: You Will Never Be Free
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Dear Brock Turner: You Will Never Be Free

You will always be a prisoner of your actions.

44
Dear Brock Turner: You Will Never Be Free
Dayton Daily News

Dear Brock Turner,

Welcome back to the world of freedom—although, in all honesty, you're not really all that welcome. I hope you enjoyed your three month long episode of "Scared Straight," even though you should still be locked away for, what was ruled to be three more months, but in the eyes of many, you should be locked away for years on end.

I imagine you're relieved to finally be free from prison, as it is definitely not a pleasant place to be. However, it's important for you to know thatyou will truly never be free.

As many times as you are referred to as the "Stanford Swimmer," in the media, your true title will always, first and foremost, be "rapist." You will never be free of that title. From the day you committed that horrendous and abhorrent crime, to the day you die, the world will know you as a rapist.

I don't know how much this bothers you, if it bothers you at all—because in your eyes, and the eyes of your friends and family, you are not a rapist. You say you are remorseful of what you did, but are you remorseful for the act itself and what you did to an innocent woman, or are you remorseful because you got caught and will now and forever be registered and labeled as a sex offender/rapist?

Yes, you will have plenty of negative repercussions from your actions, but not to the same extent as your victim. Maybe your three month prison stint did take a toll on you, as a sentence longer than six months would've taken far too much of a toll on you. That really doesn't matter though, because what you did will take the greatest toll of all on the woman you assaulted. You have turned your victim and her life into another sexual assault statistic. She is at risk of suffering from PTSD, anxiety, trust issues when it comes to intimacy, and even suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide, with many more physiological and psychological repercussions from an easily preventable crime.

You are so kindly considered, in the eyes of the judge who gave you your sentencing, and in the eyes of many others, as a kid that made a "mistake"—a "mistake" that just so happens to be something that has completely turned an innocent woman's world upside down, and a mistake that you were so leniently punished for, further perpetuating the idea that sexual assault accusations are just a victim's cry for attention, and something to be taken lightly when it pertains to a wealthy white male or a highly established person as the assailant.

You may be free from the confines of a cell, but you will never be free from your actions. You will never be free of the irreversible damage you have caused the woman you assaulted, and all that she has had to go through and will unfortunately have to bear for the rest of her life.

The words your victim so bravely said to you in court should be the thing that will have the biggest impact on you, but unfortunately it is probably your three months in prison that will have the biggest impact on you. It should be those words that scare you the most and teach you the greatest lesson of all, rather than your pathetic excuse of a prison sentence for the monstrous crime you committed. Hopefully your victim's words are burned into your memory, and you will never be free of those words. Those are the most important words to ever be spoken to you in your entire life, but you'll probably try to pretend they were never spoken—the same way you and your family pretended your victim wasn't a victim, but rather you were her victim, and you just so happened to be the unfortunate soul to end up in that court room with her.

I want to believe that you will not do something remotely close to what you did again, but I have a terrible feeling that your name will be in headlines in the future, for either the same or a similar crime, because it is difficult for me to believe that your three months in prison was enough of a lesson to tell you that what you did was completely and utterly wrong.

The truth of the matter is, Brock, you will never be free of yourself. You will always be a prisoner of your lack of a moral compass, and a prisoner of the brain that said to you, "she's not objecting, so she must be okay with me having sex with her!"

Brock Turner—you will never be free ever again. You will always be a prisoner in one way or another. You will be a prisoner of your actions, a prisoner of the undeniable and irrevocable physical and psychological harm you forced on to an innocent woman, a prisoner of your mother and father's horrifying letters in defense of your actions, a prisoner of yourself. The list goes on and on, but just know, you will always be a prisoner in one way or another. You will never be free.

Just because you're no longer sporting an orange jumpsuit does not mean you are any less guilty of what you did. You will always be guilty. You will always be an example of what people should not be. Behind bars or not, you will always be a rapist, and the world will always see you as such.

I hope your "20 minutes of action," as your father so lightly put it, behind that dumpster that night was worth becoming the abominable human being you will be known as for the rest of your life. Welcome to your life long sentence of self-imprisonment, Brock.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

90698
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

62478
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments