Speculating People v. Turner

Namita Kalghatgi ‘20

Given the charges against him, he had originally faced up to fourteen years in prison.

A prosecutor argued that he should have had a minimum of 3 years in prison.

Yet, on September 2, 2016, Brock Turner walked out of the Santa Clara County Jail after serving a mere three-month sentence.

After being arrested in early 2015 for sexually assaulting a drunk woman, the former Stanford University swimmer was convicted of three felony sexual assault charges and sentenced to six months in county prison.

The case, more commonly referred to as People v. Turner, has drawn national attention and sparked outrage towards Judge Aaron Persky, who sentenced Turner in June.

Much speculation has been given as to what the verdict should have been since the verdict of the Turner case. When considering the final outcome of a case, judges consider the following: specific and general deterrence, the need to rehabilitate the victim, and the seriousness of the situation. The public harshly criticized the last of the criterion, rightfully saying that, by giving Turner a meager sentence, Judge Persky justified rape, especially in a college setting. The public also argued that, because of the fact that Turner is a white, male athlete who does not “look like” a typical rapist, Persky’s decision was inherently biased, therefore leading to a reduced sentence.

When asked what the proper punishment for rape and sexual assault should be, without hesitation, Sreekar Madabushi ’20 states, “A life sentence. Sexual assault should be considered to be on the same level as manslaughter. Those who get a reduced sentence because of their race or age promote discrimination.” Sreekar then went on to say that judge Aaron Persky was rather lenient towards the Stanford swimmer.

Rape cases are not uncommon in America. As a matter of fact, rape and sexual assault amongst male, college athletes seem to happen rather commonly, and it is a shame that the Brock Turner case is the first to get such a violent public reaction. Many outsiders view colleges such as Stanford and Brown University as prestigious, well-established, recognized universities. Although that is not to be denied, people are not aware of the prevalence of rape on these campuses. While the general public may admire Brown University for its stellar medical program, they fail to realize is that it is the university with the most rape cases per year.

Rape on campuses seems to be an issue that no one is able to discuss openly and comfortably. Student athletes at these prestigious colleges are clearly getting reduced and lenient sentences. The general public is not aware of the fact that the Brock Turner case is not unique; cases similar to People v. Turner happen yearly, monthly, weekly. Judges such as Persky find themselves criticized openly and harshly.

When asked about the public’s extreme reaction to the case, Alyssa Lin ’19 firmly states, “Although I believe what Brock Turner did was wrong, I think that the person who should take full blame over what happened is the judge who made the final decision. He obviously made an unfair and unjust ruling.”

The vast majority of the public agrees with Lin, considering the change.org petition made to “Remove Judge Aaron Persky from the Bench.” The online petition gathered a staggering 1.3 million signatures, and, as of August 2016, Persky resigned and is no longer able to hear criminal cases.

Although the public’s reaction was arguably justified, the people of America need to recognize that Aaron Persky is not the only judge to make a poor decision. Rather, many judges nationwide make unfair rulings in favor of privileged athletes, and they do not receive nearly the amount of backlash that they deserve.

Needless to say, Brock Turner’s trial and prison sentence raised quite a stir within the United States as well as worldwide. At the time it took place, the eyes of millions followed the trial, and the backlash against it was monumental. Hopefully, People v. Turner will bring recognition to college rape and sexual assault cases, and trigger a change reaction of progressive reforms in the criminal justice system.