Brock Turner is set to be released from prison next week. Sentenced to six months in prison on June 2, his new release date of Sept. 2 means that his sentence was reduced by half to exactly three months, on apparent good behavior.
While our rapist buddy Brock was racking up good behavior brownie points in prison, the U.S. allowed yet another sexual assault injustice to occur.
David Becker, an 18-year-old man from Palmer, Massachusetts, was just sentenced to two years of probation for assaulting two unconscious teenage girls at a party this past April. If that wasn’t already bad enough, Becker actually admitted to the crime, saying that the survivors never stopped him, so he figured that what he was doing was completely okay with all parties involved. One typically receives a reduced sentence as a result of pleading guilty; however, two years’ probation for sexually assaulting two unconscious teenagers at a party is no more than a slap on the wrist, further highlighting Becker’s privileged status.
Becker’s lawyer released a statement that perfectly encapsulates everything that is wrong with the way the American justice system favors white, male criminals — especially rapists. He said, “We all make mistakes when we’re 17, 18, 19 years old, and we shouldn’t be branded for life with a felony offense.”
He went on to state that the probation will give his client the opportunity to live a “productive life without being burdened with the stigma” that comes with the status of a sex offender, as he makes his way to college in Ohio.
In our justice system and media, a disproportionate amount of emphasis is placed on the fear of what will happen to the rapists if sentenced to prison for their crimes and rather than how these acts of rape and sexual assault will affect the lives of the survivors. It’s gotten to the point where a rapist has literally outright admitted to committing an act of assault, and gotten away with it due to his status as a so-called promising white male athlete who does a lot of community service.
For a nation that considers itself to be at the forefront of progressivism and acceptance, the U.S. does an extremely poor job of setting an example for the rest of the world. Our saving grace as a country may just be that we’re not the only country currently pardoning rapists and victimizing the survivors for speaking up.
Gina-Lisa Lohfink, a German model famous for her run on Heidi Klum’s popular show, “Germany’s Next Top Model,” was just fined $22,600 for apparently falsifying rape claims. Lohfink, who was filmed in 2012 having sex with two men and repeatedly saying “No,” maintains adamantly that she was the victim of rape. The perpetrators were cleared of all charges when the case was originally brought to court; Lohfink was subsequently tried as a defendant for falsifying rape claims. Her defense lawyer stated that he feared for all future women in Germany who brought rape or sexual assault allegations to court.
The most interesting aspect of Lohfink’s case is that the ruling came not two full months after Germany passed a law stating that “no means no,” even when the victim did not struggle or put up a fight. The fact that Lohfink was caught on camera saying “no” over and over elicits doubt as to whether or not Germany will enforce the new law.
There’s always hope every time a rapist is reported and brought to court that this will be the time that justice is served. So far, every time that hope has been crushed by the reality of the American justice system. If Germany, with a law in effect requiring consent, can still victimize and accuse a rape victim of falsifying claims, then what hope do we have as a society of ever bettering ourselves?
We cannot let our society and our justice system deter us from reporting incidences of sexual assault or rape. It’s naïve of us to think that simply working together will change society instantaneously, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t try.
