Remember Brock Turner? The Stanford student who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman behind a dumpster back in January and was given a mere six-month sentence since the judge didn’t want jail time to have a “severe impact” on his life since he was good at a sport? Well, it gets worse. Turner is set to leave jail today, Friday, September 2nd. Three months early. In an attempt to make sense of this, I decided to compile a list of things that are literally (okay, maybe not literally… but literally) longer than Brock Turner’s sentence to put this injustice in perspective for everyone.
1.) Attempting to cash a stolen check
The American Civil Liberties Union discovered an individual got life in prison for this. Apparently a piece of paper is more valuable than a woman’s safety.
2.) The average time spent watching commercials in a lifetime
TWO YEARS, PEOPLE. TWO YEARS.
3.) Possession of marijuana
Get caught with any amount of pot one time, and you can face up to a year. Don’t be loud when you got that loud.
4.) Nas’ jailtime in HBO’s The Night Of
I won’t post any spoilers, so go watch this right now if you haven’t yet.
5.) Shoplifting three belts from a department store
A person really received more jail time than Brock for this. A piece of leather warrants more jail time than sexual assault. Think about that.
6.) Studying abroad
Most people study abroad for roughly four months and say it goes by in the blink of an eye. If that’s true, Brock’s sentence is so fast I haven’t even had time to blink.
I ain’t shavin’ and I ain’t sorry.
8.) That time Kim Kardashian married Kris Humphries
This marriage lasted 72 days, which might be a few weeks shorter than three months, but it still felt short AF.
9.) The UConn women’s basketball winning streak
They won an impressive 90 consecutive games from November 2008 untill December 2010. Yaaasss.
10.) Selling of marijuana paraphernalia
This is classified as a felony and you could get up to three years. Yet another example of material things being taken more seriously than assault.
11.) The amount of time it takes for you to save 15% on car insurance
Yep. Face palm is right, Geico.
12.) Any of Carrie Bradshaw’s relationships (Except for Mr. Big, obviously)
You go, girl. IMPORTANT NOTE: All of the sex in these relationships were consensual. Because there is no such thing as nonconsensual sex. That is rape.
13.) Attempting to sell stolen scrap metal
Brock sexually assaults an unconscious woman, gets three months. A person attempts to sell 10 valves and one elbow pipe, gets life.
14.) The average time spent waiting in traffic in a lifetime
Three months. D’oh!
I hope this article made you chuckle, but do not confuse my tone, my frustration, my fear, or my feminism. Brock Turner’s early release, sexual assault, and the stigma of survivors are not laughing matters. According to RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, “Every 109 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted… Meanwhile, only 6 out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison.” It is harrowing that Brock Turner was sentenced six months and will end up serving just three, and yet he will have spent “more time in jail than 97% of rapists.” No amount of thoughts, prayers, or poignant articles are enough. Instead, visit any of these websites (or find one of your own!) and join the movement.
Change.org Petition to Remove Judge Aaron Persky from the Bench
End Rape On Campus (EROC) Non-Profit Organization
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
Moving To End Sexual Assault (MESA)
National Alliance to End Sexual Violence
The American Association of University Women
SAFER for Safe Campus Environments
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