I'm sure you've heard about the Stanford Rape case. Most people have. We've all read the rape victim's letter, we've all read the news articles, and we've all hugged our loved ones that much tighter. We've all watched the news reports on TV, and as for any incoming college freshmen, we've all taken more precaution. However, if you haven't heard about it, let me fill you in. January 15th, 2015, Brock Turner was found sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. Time has gone by, but none of us have forgotten about the Stanford Rape case, it's just been dwindling in the back of our minds... That was, until a couple days ago. In the months of Summer, nearly all of us were outraged at the fact that the Stanford rapist, (and let's not forget that every news platform wants to remind us that he is an athlete), Brock Turner, was only getting six months in prison. A rapist was only getting six months. But, let me shed some light on what is happening.
A couple days ago, I was on the internet when an article popped up. "Stanford Rapist Brock Turner Released early". I couldn't believe my eyes, this had to be a joke. I clicked on the link, and began reading. And as I began reading, my eyes became wider, my heart became heavier, and my mind began swirling. Brock Turner was released from prison three months early for good behavior.
It was bad enough that the judge only gave Brock Turner six months because he feared that jail would have a severe impact on Brock. But when assigning this sentence, did the judge even think about or take into consideration the 'severe impact' that Brock had on his victim?
I don't think that I can even be mad, because honestly I am more sad. My heart goes out to the victim. I'm sad, and I'm concerned because while the judge giving Brock a gentle sentence may have ignited a fire allowing more people to stand up and speak out, think about what it is teaching my generation, and the one following. (If you're a fairly talented athlete, and you commit the act of rape, you will most likely be given a light sentence. Oh, and don't forget that if you have good behavior, you'll get off even easier... is not where I am going with this... However, I'd like to make a point that you shouldn't get a lenient sentence if you're an athlete.) Think about this: Our whole lives, starting whenever we're around three or four years of age, we are taught to take accountability and responsibility for our actions. We were given time outs, we had chores, we had responsibilities. Our parents and our siblings kept us accountable for our actions, for our grades, for our commitments. Brock's father described his son's crime as "20 minutes of action". Where is Brock Turner's accountability? Because in my opinion, a six month sentence, with a three month early release for good behavior is not it.
