To begin, I will let readers know that I will refuse to acknowledge this man's (yes, man... he is 20 years old) education or past criminal record. It is completely irrelevant. I will refer to Mr. Brock Allen Turner as the only thing that he truly is: a rapist.
For those of you who are not aware, in January 2015, two by-passers saw and intervened when they saw Turner sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. He tried to run, but the two witnesses chased him down and held him until the police arrived. And now, in the beginning of June 2016, judge Aaron Persky sentenced him to only six months as compared to the six years that prosecutors asked for. The judge's reasoning? "A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him... I think he will not be a danger to others."
Let's analyze that statement real quick.
The first part says that a prison sentence (keep in mind: for a rapist) would have a severe impact on him. But isn't that what you want? Don't you want this man to learn his lesson? Since when are we catering to the sensitivity of those who have done a crime? Why is it okay to blame the girl for being too drunk, but turn around and use that same excuse for the rapist's actions? Why, in 2016, are there such radical and harmful double standards that young kids everywhere are seeing and learning? Why is our justice system no longer fighting for justice, but appealing to those with money?
The second part of this statement is just false - "he will not be a danger to others." But he already has been! He has absolutely destroyed this woman's sense of security, so much that she is not even comfortable in her own body anymore. And if he has done it once - and got away with it - what is to stop him from doing it again?
One of the two students who stopped Turner from getting away could not even describe the situation without crying because that is just how horrifying it was to see. The letter that Turner's father wrote, defending his son, has everyone in an uproar. And the letter that the victim wrote has everyone in tears. So why are all of these emotions arising among the public, but still nothing is being done?
The bottom line is this: Judge Aaron Persky should be ashamed of himself. He has just sent out the message that as long as your record was clean before, you are an athlete at a good school, and you have money for the best lawyers around and you sexually assault someone with witnesses, you will not be charged as you should be. You will not be held accountable for your actions. He has just told everyone loud and clear that the "severe impact" prison would most likely have on the rapist is more important than the damage already done to the victim, mentally, physically, and emotionally.
It makes me so sad to have to write something like this and I hope in the near future, I will not have to write anything like this ever again. But until then, hopefully, my voice, among thousands of others who are disgusted by this, will be heard and make a difference. This needs to stop.
