In January 2015 Brock Turner, a Stanford University student, raped a 23-year-old unknown woman. His case received a maelstrom of media attention when Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner not to the 14 years of prison the three counts of sexual assault made him eligible for, but for a six month sentence (he’ll likely only serve three months) and three years of probation.
The case has ignited a discussion about the privilege given to a white, educated, athletic man (Turner was a successful swimmer) and how that affected his sentencing more than the crime committed.
We asked 19 college women about Turner’s punishment. Read their responses below.
“He got off way too easy. If he was a black man, he would have gotten the maximum punishment. His sentencing just perpetuated rape culture. It is not the girl’s fault she got raped. She may have been drunk, but he ultimately is responsible for his actions as she is hers. She expected a hangover, not to get raped. Black men are in jail for years for carrying weed on them, and this white man gets six months for rape? Tell me white privilege and institutional racism don’t exist; I dare you.”
-Jazmyne, Boston University Class of 2018
“He needs at LEAST 14 years. I am a survivor of a rape/sexual assault and this is completely unfair to the innocent woman who has to now suffer because of him.”
-Ashley, Buffalo State Class of 2018
“I think his punishment is unfair and unjust. The fact that the judge said his punishment should be six months because he won’t be able to handle prison is unacceptable. The media and the judge’s ruling are painting the image of Turner as the victim in this situation. The true victim is going to live with the pain and suffering that Turner and the judge can never understand. To give a sex offender and a rapist a ‘slap on the wrist’ punishment will give others the impression that it is okay to rape somebody because the punishment will be diminished if you come from a certain social, economical, and racial strata. I think he deserves a much longer sentence.”
-Andrea, University of Scranton Class of 2017
“I think the entire case is hard to figure out because both of them were extremely intoxicated at the time. The victim wrote in her letter and said he should have known better and being drunk is no excuse to rape, which implies someone has control over their body while drunk. She, on the other hand, had no control and was incoherent and took advantage of. I think that’s a very wrong double standard to place. He was, most likely, just as drunk as her and had just as much control over the situation as she had. When drunk, he probably was not thinking about how drunk she was, and when he heard her consent, he probably did not factor in the legality of the situation. I think his sentence should be more than six months, but nothing as extreme as others are saying it should be.”
-Jessica, James Madison University Class of 2017
RELATED: The Brock Turner Case Shows We Need to Stop Reacting and Start Acting to Stop Rape Culture
“There seems to be a double standard when it comes to crimes that are committed by otherwise ‘good people’. I think a sentence that could carry up to 14 years in prison deserves more than six months in jail and three years in probation, no matter who you are or what you are accomplished. The truth is, ‘20 minutes’ can define who you are or who you will become.”
-Lexi, University of South Carolina Class of 2018
“Turner obviously should get more time than he was given, and the portrayal of his character should have been closer to what we’d expect of a rapist and not like a list of accomplishments. We are a nation so divided both by race and class. Think back to the Duke Men’s Lacrosse team scandal in the early 2000’s — white/educated privilege was used against those boys who actually didn’t do it. Whether it’s making a criminal look good or making a good guy look like a criminal, we put too much weight on skin color and education level when, really, those things make no difference in these situations.”
-Shelly, Shenandoah University Class of 2018
“Brock Turner’s punishment is the epitome of white male privilege. What his father considers ‘20 minutes of action’ is an event that will traumatize that young woman for the rest of her life and he needs to be held fully accountable. Turner’s case shows just how much more work needs to be done in our criminal justice system especially concerning how it handles sexual assault cases because the assailant should never be prioritized over the victim. As a white male, Turner was truly innocent until proven guilty whereas there are black and other non-white men who serve time in jail for rapes they never even committed. Hopefully the national dialogue this case has sparked will serve to give victims of sexual assault a platform to have their stories be heard and addressed.”
-Paula, Boston College Class of 2018
“He got such a small punishment because he was a perceived as ‘smart,’ ‘promising,’ white man who had such a future ahead of him. But monsters hide behind all different disguises. He knew what he was doing was wrong and he did it anyway — which doesn’t make him a promising young man, it makes him a rapist and a terrible person. The fact that he doesn’t have to serve an adequate sentence just tells him and all other affluent white men that they can do whatever they want to a woman’s body and will get a slap on the wrist for it. It’s disgusting.”
-Sarah, Drexel University Class of 2018
“I feel so disturbed and disgusted. The judge said that a longer sentence would have a ‘severe impact’ on Turner but what about the ‘severe impact’ Turner had on his rape victim? I’m sick of privileged white men in this country literally getting away with murder and rape while people of color face constant turmoil. I hope with all my heart that both the judge and Turner face repercussions outside of the courtroom.”
-Isabella, Boston University Class of 2018
RELATED: These Are the Schools With the Most Reports of Rape on Campus
“Obviously, he was let off incredibly easy. The worst part, though, is that it seems like the judge sided with him. The judge cited the grossly short sentence for the fact that he doesn’t want jail to change him (which is the purpose of jail) and that Turner doesn’t seem like a threat to other people. I think the woman he raped would beg to differ. As someone whose biggest fear is to be raped, I also disagree with the judge. This is where it becomes obvious the judge is a man who can’t really understand the fear of walking home alone after it gets dark. He doesn’t have that problem, as it turns out. The whole thing is wildly offensive, and a disgusting display of what Judge Perksy has ruled as justice. Rest assured, this is not justice.”
-Micki, University of Missouri-Columbia Class of 2018
“He got a slap on the wrist because he’s a white college athlete and the judge was a white male and they both don’t respect women as actual human beings with rights. This was a serious miscarriage of justice that is indicative of how sexism and rape culture have been allowed to flourish in our society. This entire case was sickening. I hope the judge gets recalled and the case is appealed so that maybe some actual justice can be delivered here.”
-Rose, Villanova Class of 2019
“The notion that Brock Turner has ‘too much to lose’ so he shouldn’t have a long or harsh sentence is appalling. He’s probably losing out on more opportunities because of the media attention he’s getting than if he had been sentenced to more jail time. I’m more outraged by Brock’s father’s statement more than anything else. He tried justifying his son’s actions. If his father believes the things he said, it is no wonder Brock thought rape was okay. While this case is outrageous and helps promote rape culture, I worry about the way word of it has traveled. Millions of people are sharing things all over social media about this case when they haven’t read any court documents and were not there for the trial. Nobody really knows exactly what happened in the court room, and it worries me that people have blindly accepted everything they’ve read online about this case as the truth.”
-Ashley, Concordia University Chicago Class of 2019
“I think that is it time for us to work even harder to end rape culture. This woman was violated, and her entire life has been changed, but people are continuing to blame her. ‘She shouldn’t have had anything to drink.’ ‘She drank alcohol, what did she expect?’ ‘She doesn’t even remember it.’ These people seem to forget two things. First of all, that there were two people involved in this. Yes, she drank, but she didn’t then force Brock Turner to rape her. And also, legally, one cannot consent when they are under the influence of alcohol. That means that no matter if she did say yes or not, which considering she was unconscious seems highly unlikely, he raped her. It further disgusts me that Brock Turner is not facing a real punishment. Yes, he will no longer be able to swim in the Olympics or go to Stanford, but six months? Are you kidding me? The judge thinks that jail would have a ‘profound impact’ on him? You know what? It should. If jail doesn’t have any impact on him, then all it is doing is holding him for a short amount of time before he goes back to society where he can rape again. Jail should have an impact on him, because he needs to take responsibility for his actions, and realize what he did wrong. That night has had a profound impact on that girl and her family. She will probably never be able to get over what happened to her, but oh the rapist might not do well in jail. He was convicted of rape. He should be going to jail for longer than six months, his punishment should be worse, and it should have an impact on him.”
-Erica, Gettysburg College Class of 2019
“This is the type of man who thinks he can get away with anything because of his social position. While I am disgusted with his actions, I have also lost faith in the validity of the justice system. No one, and I mean no one, should get special treatment at trial; all should be treated the same. Just because the judge ‘saw himself’ in Brock, there is no reason that judge should be allowed to make that call based on a biased decision. These were his actions; he should suffer all of the consequences. Even if it was just ‘20 minutes of action.’”
-LL, Binghamton College Class of 2019
“It’s an absolute f*cking disgrace to rape victims everywhere. The judge should be thrown off the bench and they should all rot in hell.”
-Casey, King’s College Class of 2017
“As a sexual assault victim myself, I believe that he got off easy. The judge that proceeded over his case has no place being in a courtroom. This man raped someone. He destroyed a piece of that woman and her family that they will never be able to fix. For the rest of her life she is going to be paranoid of any and every man that she meets, all because one little boy didn’t have enough self control and common sense to know that someone being unconscious is not equal to them consenting. And he only got 6 months in jail, with a possibility of a shortened sentence to three months with good behavior?! Meanwhile, we have a 76-year-old veteran who got prison for life just because he was growing marijuana. Our justice system is warped. If there is any evidence of the gender bias being in favor of males, here is one example. The father wrote a letter stating that Brock’s life is ‘deeply altered’ because of ‘20 minutes of action.’ And the judge made his ruling because he thought that it ‘would have a severe impact on him.’ Well, no shit. It should have an enormous impact on him because he sexually violated someone. Men like him are the reason that women are afraid to go out by themselves. Because who will believe us over the male football stars, the male swimming legends, and the male prodigies that have SO MUCH potential that everyone believes there’s no way that they could have possibly done this. All survivors hear is ‘He’s such a good boy, there’s no way he did this!’, ‘Are you sure you didn’t give consent?’, ‘Did you drink too much?’, ‘What were you wearing?’, ‘Why were you out by yourself?’, ‘Why didn’t you tell anyone sooner?’ None of those questions matter when someone violates you. No one has the rights to another human being’s body. Ever. Not without giving consent.”
-Rachael, University of Central Florida Class of 2017
RELATED: Her Story: I Survived Date Rape
“We need to be referring to this monster as the dumpster rapist, not the Stanford anything. By associating him with anything of positive connotation, like Stanford or swimming, swimmer, etc, we are removing him from the situation and automatically making him seem less accountable. It is disgusting that a woman will live with this for the rest of her life while an over privileged RAPIST earns sympathy from friends, family, and the judge. This man was convicted on three counts including INTENT TO RAPE, yet will get a lighter sentence than others of any race. This case continues to polarize the nation around ‘rape culture’ as the attitudes of the judge, his father, and his friend who made statements places blame on the victim and on alcohol. Well, alcohol doesn’t rape, rapists rape, and those on the other end of this debate are now fighting more ferociously than ever to reverse this disgusting culture.”
-Krysten, Elmhurst College Class of 2017
“I think it’s a joke. I could see a lighter sentence being imposed on someone because yes, they’re young and they have no prior criminal history but ONLY if the person, the sexual assailant, owned up to what they did and truly showed remorse, though even then six months (which could easily turn into as little as three) is not nearly enough. This very well may be the last time he ever commits a crime and I hope that it is and that he is rehabilitated and able to be a use to society (because a cycle of crime isn’t good for anyone, nor is wishing harm upon someone else) but if he continues to sing the same tune he is now then the so-called justice system will have failed his victim and victims everywhere even more than it already has. I can’t imagine having a statement as eloquent, raw, and moving as the victim’s being read and not taking responsibility. What I find most disturbing about this case besides the assault itself is his personal lack of accountability and even basic understanding of what he has truly done. He claims to regret that he hurt another person but he mostly regrets being caught. In his statements he mentions her, sure, but the highlight is on how it has affected him negatively which I think is so ridiculous, selfish, and downright twisted. Was alcohol an important part of what happened? Absolutely. On both sides? Yes. But to say that the problem is with alcohol and what the alcohol made you do is absurd. Would he have done what he did it he was sober? Maybe (hopefully) not. But the alcohol didn’t rape that girl, HE did. All I can say is I hope those few months he spends in prison act as a wake up call and he not only sees the error in his ways but finally understands and owns up to what he did.”
-Lindsay, Mount Saint Mary’s College Class of 2018
“Deplorable. Disgusting. Reeking of affluent white privileged. I literally feel nausea when I see his name, his face… this whole story is a galling disappointment. And the people in his camp? Just as revolting as he is! From his fathers ‘20 minutes of action’ comment, to Leslie Rasmussen blaming political correctness on why Turner is even being convicted at all!! Leslie Rasmussen took her time and wrote out the sentence ‘But where do we draw the line and stop worrying about being politically correct every second of the day and see that rape on campuses isn’t always because people are rapists.’ Excuse me? ‘Rape on campuses isn’t always because people are rapists.’ Really goes to show that people in college can still be idiots, and money can’t buy common sense. Such a waste. Oh, oh, oh, and let’s not forget this gem; ‘This is completely different from a woman getting kidnapped and raped as she is walking to her car in a parking lot. That is a rapist. These are not rapists. These are idiot boys and girls having too much to drink and not being aware of their surroundings and having clouded judgment.’ The victim was literally found unconscious in the bushes. IN THE BUSHES! I am so disappointed in the world we live in where people in college, supposedly the best and brightest, could sit down and pen a repugnant letter like this to defend A RAPIST. Oh wait, he’s not a convicted rapist even…ain’t that some sh*t? Turner technically isn’t convicted for rape, but rather sexual assault. AINT THAT SOME SH*T? I’m exhausted. I’m tired. I’m restless.”
-Tuesnay, University at Albany, SUNY Class of 2016