Time came under fire Friday morning when the outlet tweeted out its article on Turner’s release with the headline “Stanford Swimmer Brock Turner Has Been Released From Jail”, even dropping the “former” – Turner, the share headline seems to suggest, will eternally be a swimmer, not a rapist.
Advertisement
Turner received hundreds of pieces of hate mail while he was behind bars, James Jensen of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News. “He should be in prison right now, but he’s not in our custody”.
Stanford law professor Michele Dauber, chairwoman of the campaign to recall Persky, said the judge “bent over backwards” to not give Turner a prison sentence.
Persky has defended his record in an online post on a website set up to support him, Retain Judge Persky.
Hours after Turner’s release, there was a protest over his short sentence. This would undercut the current state law that allows lighter jail sentences for offenders whose victims were unconscious or incapable of giving consent, which is why Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky gave Mr. Turner a six-month jail term, rather than the six years in prison the prosecutor pushed for. Turner plans to head to his native OH to live with his parents.
Turner was convicted in March of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object, and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object. Santa Clara County Presiding Judge Rise Pichon granted that request.
The crowd waved signs and chanted, Hey, hey, ho, ho, Judge Persky has got to go, before listening to womens advocates, rape survivors and a lineup of politicians, including state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, Assemblywoman Nora Campos, D-San Jose, Sen. “11 cases ended with no time, either through probation or suspended or deferred sentences; nine ended in acquittals or charges being dropped”, CNN reported.
Currently, California law treats sexual assault of a conscious person as a more severe crime than attacking an unconscious person. The status requires Turner to fulfill certain requirements, including registration four times per year for the rest of his life.
After the judgement, people had started a campaign for Persky’s removal. A biased judge is a threat to the entire justice system..
Protesters have called for the recall of Judge Persky, who last month asked to be assigned to the court’s civil division. On Monday, the California Assembly voted unanimously to create mandatory prison terms for crimes like Turners.
Brock Turner will be released from the Santa Clara County Jail today.
Brock went on to serve three months at the Santa Clara County jail.
Many across the country and the world are outraged at how the justice systems fail to handle sensitive cases that involve sexual assault against women, with the level of seriousness and precision required to efficiently address the problematic entitled mentality society holds against women and their bodies. One woman yelled “loser” at Turner as he got into the SUV.
Beth Willon, senior news editor and reporter for KQED.
Advertisement
He was convicted of assaulting the young woman near a trash bin after they drank heavily at a fraternity party in January 2015.
