On January 18, 2015, Stanford student Brock Turner was arrested for the sexual assault of an unconscious woman. When he was found guilty, he was sentenced to six months in prison. On average, rapists are sentenced to 9.8 years in federal prison, but actually serve 5.4 of those years. When I first read the headlines three months ago, I was immediately nauseated. Here was another rapist who was getting a light six month sentence. I was even more horrified this past week when I realized he was being released after three of those six months. Here was another incidence of the justice system perpetuating rape culture by allowing a convicted rapist to walk free. The law had failed yet another woman by allowing her rapist back into society.
Tragically, sexual assault is not an uncommon occurrence in today's world. One in four women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime. This averages 683,000 rapes per year, only 16 percent of which are ever reported. And yet, year after year, rapists receive a slap on the wrist for something as serious as sexual assault. It is infuriatingly unjust. The fact that people serve longer sentences for smoking marijuana than assaulting someone is ridiculous. The fact that the judge presiding over the case thought that six months in prison seemed like justice is offensive in and of itself. The law has failed Brock Turner's victim by protecting the rapist instead of the victim.
Even worse, Turner's parents wrote offensive letters to the judge, describing their son as a “gentle” and “sweet” boy. They seem to be attempting to glorify him by presenting him as a hard working, kind student who made a mistake. They attempt to paint a picture of an athlete on the swim team, who didn't mean to harm anyone. The fact of the matter is, Brock Turner is not a world class swimmer who happens to have raped someone. He's a rapist who happens to be on the swim team.
Regardless of who he is or where he goes to school, he should receive the punishment he deserves. Hint: it's NOT 3 months. When you think of Brock Turner, you should not think of the opportunities he was robbed of. You should think of the young woman he hurt, and what he stole from her. She is more than “20 minutes of action”, as Brock's father so poignantly phrased it. She is a human being who has been forever altered by Brock Turner's actions.
The fact that someone can sexually assault another human being and get off with 3 months in prison is beyond horrific. It is incomprehensible that a judge would pity a rapist and protect him rather than the actual victim. However, it seems to be a common pattern in today's society. We should try to end that by raising awareness for sexual assault. It will take a lot of time and effort, because change cannot be affected without real work, but it is a step in the right direction. I don't want to live in a world where rapists walk free and victims have no closure or protection.
