!!!SPOILERS AND TRIGGERS AHEAD!!!

Wrong, that's the answer to the question I proposed in my headline:

"Because why would a good and honest citizen with no criminal history be punished, right?"

Controversial T.V. show, "13 Reasons Why," released their second season about a month ago and we finally got to see Bryce get what he deserves, or so we thought. It was about time that he got charged with not only sexually assaulting Hannah and Jess (as we saw in season one), but for all of the pictures he took of women in "The Clubhouse." While those pictures sadly didn't make it into court, we still had Jess' strong and powerful testimony which proved that she, like many others, are not victims of sexual assault but SURVIVORS.

But sadly, even with a strong ending statement, we all saw Bryce get only three months of probation because the judge on the case wants both sides to be represented and considered equally. He claims that Bryce has been a good person leading up to these accusations and that he has no criminal history, proving that he's been "good" in that sense. If anyone who watched this scene was angry and disturbed, you should be. Why? Because the is the sad reality for many people in sexual assault cases, and often times the rapist will get away with little to NO punishment? Are you angrier yet?

Take the Brock Turner case for example. He sexually assaulted and intoxicated a young women in 2015. Two students found him on top of the woman and could tell that she was unconscious. When his case went to trial in 2016, the three charges he was facing came with a MINIMUM sentence of 14 YEARS in prison. And what was the outcome? The judge sentenced him with only 6 MONTHS in prison, and 3 years of probation. And what is even more disturbing is that he only served HALF of his barley there punishment because of his "good behavior."

Many people were critical of this case with statements why he served such a short time in jail ranging from white privilege, male privilege, him being a star athlete and a judge with no morals. Regardless or what reasons you may believe are the reason why such a sick person got out in three months, the issue is that it was ONLY three months.

As I stated before, the charges that he was facing came with a minimum of 14 years. Brock Turner only saw three months, and that is hardly any justice for the survivor of this crime. He knew what he was doing was disgusting, wrong and obviously illegal, but none of that stopped him. He knew what he wanted and he didn't let anything stop him from getting it.

Just like Brock Turner, the Jess and Bryce's case saw a judge with bias towards the assailant. Bryce faced only probation, which barley makes an impact on his pathetic life; while Jess has to live with what he did forever.

The sad reality of both of these cases is that yes, a lot of times we see rapists and other predators basically getting away with such a heinous act. What needs to happen is for us to stop taking the side of the defendant; we cannot keep finding reasons to hold them up on a pedestal just for the good things they do that show from their outer ego. These people are sick and need to be punished for what they have done, period.

We FINALLY got to start to see some of this happening with Aaron Persky, the judge that was appointed to Brock Turner's case. Many California voters were appalled by the light sentence, and used their right to vote to get rid of someone that does not take sexual assault (whether it be on campus or anywhere) seriously. Michele Dauber, who is a Professor at Stanford University stated that, "We voted that sexual violence, including campus sexual violence, must be taken seriously by our elected officials, and by the justice system," which shows that we all have the power to prove people wrong and show that their are people out there that will not back down until proper justice is served.

We must start believing and standing up for survivors of sexual assault. For them to even get to the point where they go to trial and must spend hours in court with the person that haunts their memories takes a different kind of strength that no one could teach you.

These brave survivors deserve to see justice brought to them, and they deserve to know that what they went through was horrible, but it will NOT define who they are. Each person that has been through something like this is a warrior and while this was a thorn in their life, there is a beautiful rose waiting to blossom as they move past this event and become stronger from it.

If you or anyone you know has suffered from sexual assault don't hesitate to contact these resources, you are NOT alone:

National Sexual Assault Hotline: Call 1-800-656-4673 (Open 24 hours)

RAIIN's List of Resources: https://www.rainn.org/national-resources-sexual-assault-survivors-and-their-loved-ones

National Sexual Violence Resource Center: https://www.nsvrc.org/