Brock Turner Case Study

On January 17, 2015, two Stanford graduate students witnessed a man, who was later identified as Brock Turner, sexually assaulting an unconscious, undressed woman behind a dumpster outside of a party at a fraternity house. When they approached the scene, Turner attempted to flee. The graduate students restrained him and immediately called the police. The 22- year- old, who chose to remain anonymous, had her life flipped upside down since that traumatic night. During the course of June of this year, Turner was convicted of three counts of sexual assault and was sentenced to 6 months in county jail (released in 3 months with good behavior), probation, and ordered to register as sex offender. The public was outraged by the decision of the Superior

Court Judge Aaron Persky. The judge took all the testimonies and the police report into account when providing leniency for all American athlete. He believed the ruling was justified because a harsher sentence would have a severe impact on Brock’s future.
The larger social problem evident here is the leniency that sexually offenders are afforded while the world of victims is shaken by this violent crime. Sexual assault is a sensitive subject and not addressed often. There are many factors in the case in particular that show that some victims feel that their voices might not be heard. Even after the 12 page emotionally detailed letter the victim read during Turner’s sentencing, he was given a sentence that did not entirely fit the severity of the crime. Victims who are sexually assaulted are hesitant in coming forward to the authorities because they might feel ashamed or feel as if they were responsible somehow and blame themselves. Even if a victim does come forward, there is no guarantee that justice is served. This case sets a precedent for future victims because they may become reluctant to speak out about their assault due to the overall verdict of this trial.