The ex-Stanford swimmer, Brock Turner, was released from prison on Friday, 2 September, after having completed half of his six-month sentence for sexual assault.
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Turner bowed his head as he rushed past a crowd of reporters outside the Santa Clara County jail in San Jose just after 6 a.m. (9 a.m. ET).
Sheriff Laurie Smith gave a brief statement about Turner’s time at the facility, saying he received volumes of hate mail and some threats, but none that were deemed credible.
Turner, who was 19 at the time, fled, but the witnesses tackled him and held him until police arrived, according to the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office. Brown hasn’t said whether he will sign it.
Turner’s case exploded into the spotlight when a poignant statement from the victim swept through social media and critics decried the sentence as too lenient. The brevity of Turner’s sentence triggered outrage against the judge and controversy over how the justice system treats sexual assault survivors.
Brock Turner has just been released from the Santa Clara County Jail.
In June, judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner to only six months in prison, followed by three years probation.
The bill would close a disparity in state law meting out different severity of punishments based on whether a sexual-assault victim was conscious at the time of the attack.
The protest outside the San Jose jail was one of many already organized by UltraViolet, whose members have been vocal and active in trying to get Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Persky recalled from the bench.
Sheriff Smith voiced support for a pending state bill that would have mandated prison for Turner’s crimes.
One of the male protesters said he fears that Turner would repeat offense because of the lax sentence he was given in the Stanford case. He has also started a campaign committee to defend his judgeship.
Turner served three months of a six month sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in January 2015.
Persky responded by voluntarily removing himself from criminal cases to handle civil suits instead.
I bet Judge Persky is unpopular.
The victim told police she had four whiskey shots and two shots of vodka that night but couldnt remember anything after talking with male guests at the fraternity party, according to a police report. “It’s absolutely horrifying that, despite overwhelming evidence, Judge Persky let him go free with really a slap on the wrist, and the woman will live with that for the rest of her life”.
Under Proposition 57, the state corrections department could administratively rule out registered sex offenders like Turner for early release, and parole officials could reject anyone with a unsafe history, Newman said.
After Turner registers as a sex offender, the sheriff’s department will send postcards to Turner’s neighbors, alerting them to his nearby residence. His next step is moving back to his family’s home in OH and registering as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Once there, he’ll be required to register as a sex offender. Fischer says Turner will have to register every three months at the sheriff’s office, reaffirming that he’s still living with his parents.
Like other sex offenders, Turner will be monitored by a probation officer for three years.
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It’s unclear under which tier Turner’s California conviction will fall, but in the letter Turner’s mother wrote to Persky, she indicated his offense could make him eligible for the highest level of supervision, Tier III.
