People say money equals power.
They say that if you have money you can buy whatever you wish. A wealthy man or woman can buy a new car or house or exotic vacation on a whim and not even bat an eye. Wealth can bring people great things. However, wealth should never allow anyone to be above the law.
There have been many cases seen in the news regarding power, status and money getting people out of situations for which they should be paying consequences. Being able to get oneself out of debt or having enough money to pay to fix something that is broken is all fine and good, but there is another sort of privilege that has been leaking through the cracks into our very justice system. The example I am talking about is one of the most vile and disgusting cases of privilege and one of the most despicable disappointments in the justice system I have ever heard of. In January 2015, a student at Stanford University was caught in the act of raping an intoxicated female behind a dumpster on campus, and at his trial in March, he only ended up getting 6 months jail time and probation. The apparent reasoning behind this, he is an athlete (a swimmer) and a harder sentence would end up having a “severe impact” on the rapist, Brock Allen Turner, who at the time of the assault was 20-years-old.
Recently, the now 23-year-old woman and survivor of this horrid assault, released a letter that she read at the sentencing June 2. In the letter, she directed the rapist who, according to the Guardian, was convicted of three charges of rape. In her letter she talked about what occurred that night from her perspective as well as expressing her disappointment in the trial and sentencing. According to the website Think Progress, in response to his son’s actions, Dan Turner, Brock’s father, released his own statement (which was published by Michelle Dauber, who is a law professor at Stanford and who helped create new university penalties regarding sexual assault). In this letter, Dan talks about how he feels that his child has lost his appetite and should not be penalized for life for “20 minutes of action.” Dan feels his child should only get probation rather than any jail time at all.
When I read the news about Brock Turner’s sentencing, I thought it was a joke. I honestly believed that there was no way a judge could give such a short sentence to such a large and heinous crime that is honestly right up there with murder in my opinion. Then when I read more deeply into the case and the woman’s letter, as well as Dan Turner’s letter, I became disappointed in not only the justice system, but also the faith that being well off could not get you out of everything in life. That belief died the second I saw the judge’s sentencing for Turner. Brock Turner was an athlete as well as someone who lived a very lavish life style (in the letter, Dan discusses how Brock will not eat the rib eye steak he loves to grill for him). Because of status and privilege that came along with being a wealthy athlete at the university, the judge did not see a reason to “ruin” this man's, a known rapist's, life because he was young, well off, athletic, etc.
Whatever the reason behind it is, in my opinion, it is nothing.
I do not know why the judge and Dan Turner do not understand the seriousness of the situation, but I feel that I will have to recap for them. Brock Turner raped an intoxicated young woman. There was no consent and two other students caught him in the act. Nothing that anyone says, does or buys their way out of can change his actions. They can, however, make sure that he receives the proper punishment and consequences to him; if that means multiple years in jail, not months, years, then so be it. If it means life in jail, so be it. If it means the death penalty, then so be it.
This is not being harsh or cruel, because what Brock Turner did to that woman was beyond harsh and cruel. For the rest of that woman’s life she will have to live with the pain and suffering that the sexual assault caused her that night and beyond. She will have to deal with those feelings of anguish for the rest of her life. When a crime is committed, the judge, jury or police officers cannot magically make it go away. They cannot wave a magic wand and erase something from existence. They can however, make sure that justice is served and that the proper punishments are given to whomever is found guilty of the crime. Age should not matter; skin color should not matter. Gender should not matter; wealth should not matter, and status should not matter. Nothing but the crime and possibly how many past or present charges that a criminal received should matter in a trial and when giving a sentence.
This judge failed to comply to that example when he went along with the rapist’s status and age and thought a minimum punishment that could be given to someone who was doing a lesser crime like selling drugs or vandalism could receive. Rape is a crime that has no justification whatsoever. While there are cases of false rape claims, this was not one of those cases. In murder trials, certain acts of killing could be seen as self-defense. In acts of stealing, they could possibly be seen as desperate acts to help feed loved ones or themselves. Rape is not like any of those cases. It is in no way justifiable, and if found guilty, the person should receive an extremely high punishment whether that be years in jail, life in jail or even death penalty, all which depend on the state the trial is in and the judge, but in no way is a crime so vile as rape ever given the correct punishment when given only six months in jail and probation. The sentencing is not only disrespectful to the woman involved in this situation, but the thousands of others victims of sexual assaults that happen each year. In fact, according to RAINN, 293,000 sexual assaults occur ever year on average.
When sentences like this are handed out it is not only disrespectful and completely dismissive of punishments fitting crimes, but disrespecting individuals who deal or have dealt with rape in their life. It also sends the wrong message to everyone when it comes to sexual assault. The message it seems to be sending is that if you are well off, you can get away with almost anything. That major crimes should get minimal sentencing. It is telling rapists that sexual assault is OK if the person is drunk and that you can get away with it. This sentencing could end up silencing thousands of women, men, and children who are victims of sexual assault, as they see that justice is not given to them when they speak out. It is telling parents that allowing your children to get away with crimes is okay in the eyes of the law and that paying fancy lawyers and defending your child for doing something that some people would not wish on their worst enemy, is OK. It is telling judges and anyone who is involved in the judicial system that this is the kind of example that members of the judicial system should set. It is saying that if someone is black-out drunk, then their rapist does not deserve a proper punishment. The sentence is saying that even if you are caught in the act of raping someone, have three charges against you, and lose your court case, the judge still can grant you a minimum sentencing such as the one given in this case. Turner’s sentencing is sending a horrible and negative message to everyone who hears of it and the case. It is saying that this punishment is justifiable and completely fair in eyes of law. That is 100 percent false.
Turner’s sentencing is a disgrace not only to the judicial system, but to all assault victims. Allowing money, status, power, etc. to play any part in what is really right is despicable. I do not care that this person is a swimmer. I do not care that this person is young. I do not care that this person is a former college student. I do not care how “sorry” he is for his action or if has a loss of appetite. I do not care if the woman he raped was drunk. None of this matters because at the end of the day he sexually assaulted someone.
He is a rapist.
I cannot put it more straightforward and blunt than that. Rape is arguably one of the worst crimes a person can commit; it should receive an equally horrible punishment. In this particular case it did not. I hope in my heart, as I know many other’s do, that justice will prevail and this rapist will get a stronger sentencing somehow. Whether that looks likely at the moment, it is hard to say, but it is with deep hope that that Turner will receive a stronger sentencing. It is also my hope that the women who survived this ordeal will be given and/or continued to be given the proper respect, treatment and support that all sexual assault victims deserve. Money can buy people new toys or tickets to concerts or vacations, but it should never buy someone a lesser or easier sentencing, especially in cases regarding rape.
