All aspects of the Brock Turner case disgust me; his claim of intoxication and consent, his family's defense of their son's character, and most of all Judge Persky's meager sentence. The 23-year-old woman whom Turner assaulted did not deserve this madhouse of a case, and most of all did not deserve to be assaulted. Before further criticizing the handling of this case, I want to say that I wish she did not have to endure this media circus in addition to the crime itself. My thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family.
As a young woman heading to college this upcoming fall, my parents and older family friends continually warn me of the dangers of rape on college campuses. I've watched "The Hunting Ground" and "It Happened Here," both documentaries about sexual assault in college that increased my wariness. Now that Brock Turner basically received a "get out of jail free" card, I worry more than ever for my safety this upcoming year. This case sends a message to women and men across America that even if your assailant is found guilty, he or she could get away with their crime.
After reading his father and mother's letters, as well as his own statement, I was dumfounded at the varying excuses and reasons for leniency. Turner's father argued that a heavy sentence would be, "a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action," and his mother decided to focus her letter on her son's swim career and Stanford aspirations. In one line, she even states, "This verdict has destroyed us." These selfish reactions to the crime their son committed make my blood boil and my fists clench in frustration. I don't care about his resumé, I care about the day he decided to ruin a young woman's life. Brock Turner deserves life in prison, rather than the six months in jail and three month's probation sentence he received. Does a stellar swim career make him above the law? This treatment of coddling a college sports star is unfortunately a norm in many cases of rape on college campuses.
Brock Turner's case only further proves that more action must be taken to eradicate the ability to use binge drinking and rowdy college behavior as excuses for sexual assault. Turner consistently claimed that his acts were consensual, although two witnesses found him assaulting the woman behind a dumpster while she was unconscious. Another article recently stated that Turner even sent an explicit image of the victim to his friends during the assault. All of these factors, including his lies about previous drug use, should have earned the maximum sentence.
The checklist of evidence proved Turner's guilt, without a spot of speculation. However, Judge Persky decided that the fourteen-year maximum sentence was too much for Turner, and that it would have a "severe impact" on his life. Well, I hope Judge Persky knows that this arbitrary decision on his part will forever severely impact the victim and her family. Despite the decision of the court, he did everything in his power to make Turner's sentence as mild as possible, and that is a crime in itself. Whether some under-the-table deals or his previous Stanford attendance inspired this conviction, he should know that I would celebrate if he never returned to the bench.
