Brock Turner.
Hopefully a name you recognize. Even if you don't, after this article, you definitely will.
A former Stanford athlete, Brock Turner was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman behind a dumpster. She was found unconscious by two men who chased Turner away. She had pine needles in her hair, her dress hiked up, and her underwear thrown aside. Turner's trial lead to three felony charges and only a six-month prison sentence. A sentence, originally set at fourteen years, that was shortened again to three months due to good behavior and the idea that prison will be a "bad experience" for him. He'll be released this Friday, September 2, 2016.
Terrible, right? But no one's really focusing on the real issue here: what the victim is going through. Sexual assault is a serious offense that takes an emotional, mental, and physical toll on a person. I want to look at how the effects of the assault don't quite match up with the punishment Brock Turner received. I truly believe that no matter how tough prison is, Turner does NOT deserve to be released early.
I don't know about other girls, but personally, I've been afraid to walk home alone at night. I've seen too many stories of girls being grabbed and assaulted by random men. And while it is statistically more likely to be assaulted by a family member or friend, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women are sexually assaulted in college. Every time I come home late from practice or from a friend's dorm, I always make sure a close guy friend walks me home. If I am that scared when I'm sober, I couldn't even imagine what could happen if l was drunk.
The emotional effects of a sexual assault are detrimental to a person's well-being. Assault victims live a life of torture. It's hard for them to get up in the morning and face the day. Going to parties is almost never an option. They're constantly terrified of being in the same situation again. In her letter, Turner's victim said that she had to sleep with a light on at all times because she would have nightmares. While Turner's sentence ends, the victim's never does. Did she do anything to deserve a life sentence? No. Turner assaulted a woman and, according to CNN, was found guilty of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated or unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person. Yet, he's released early on counts of good behavior. Does the victim ever get to end her metaphorical sentence early?
No, she gets life without parole.
Being drunk is never a good excuse to claim that you didn't assault someone. Just because you "weren't in the right mindset" does NOT mean that you should get away with hurting someone like that. And besides, if you weren't in the right mindset, how can you possibly claim that she consented? Let's take a look at what defines consent. Loveisrespect.org says that consent cannot be given under the influence of alcohol at all. Which means, regardless if she actually said yes or not, she could not have possibly consented. In addition, if the partner doesn't say no, it does not mean he/she said yes. Unless there is an explicit, sober yes, there is no consent. I cannot emphasize this enough.
We cannot condone this type of campus culture. Sexual assault and rape should not be taken lightly. Hardly any victims of sexual assault ever come forward, because of stories like Brock Turner's. When someone does come forward, they're told to be quiet or no one believes them.
Because apparently, the reputation of the assaulter is more important than the brokenness of the victim. And that's just not morally right.
