“If we had our way, Brock Turner would be in state prison serving a six-year sentence, not going home”, Rosen said in a statement following Turner’s release on Friday morning after three months in jail.
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A jury determined that Turner assaulted an unconscious woman outside a fraternity party in January of 2015.
Turner originally was charged with raping an intoxicated or unconscious person, which also is considered a nonviolent crime because, according to California law, it does not involve force.
He was released early from jail for good behavior while incarcerated. Turner faced a minimum sentence of two years in prison, and prosecutors argued for six years.
“His sentence was upsetting and unsettling”, said Christy Heiskala, who said she flew from San Diego to attend the protest. OH prison officials have agreed to take over monitoring Turner, and he is required to register as a sex offender with the county sheriff.
“Had Brock admitted guilt and remorse and offered to settle early on, I would have considered a lighter sentence, respecting his honesty, grateful to be able to move our lives forward”, she said.
A letter to the court by Turner’s father, stating that the blond, blue-eyed athlete did not deserve to be jailed for “20 minutes of action”, further stoked the debate. Among other things, a tier III classification would require Turner to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
“Because of his notoriety, Turner will have the whole community as his probation officer”, he said.
Turner is expected to return to OH, where his family lives.
Protesters have planned a demonstration later on Friday outside the jail calling for the recall of Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, who sentenced Turner. He will be required to register on the sex offenders’ list for life. The bill, which the Democratic governor has until September 30 to veto or sign, would require judges to choose an appropriate prison term rather than opt for probation or a stint in jail. “You and me. You are the cause, I am the effect”.
Judge Aaron Persky was criticised for being so lenient and he has since requested to be removed from future criminal cases. Instead, he was sentenced to just six months in the county jail.
“Sexually assaulting an unconscious or intoxicated victim is a bad crime and our laws need to reflect that”, Assemblyman Bill Dodd, D-Napa, who helped introduce the bill, said in a statement.
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The Stanford rape case triggered a national outcry in June when the woman’s victim impact statement went viral, prompting criticism of both the sentencing judge and the USA criminal justice system’s light penalties for sexual assault.
