Rape: unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

For one young California woman, this definition represents the worst day of her life. According to CNN, the anonymous victim visited her younger sister to attend a fraternity party on the night of Jan. 17, 2016 at Stanford University. Just after 1 a.m. on Jan. 18, the victim was taken by Brock Turner, a Stanford student and member of the swim team, to the back of a dumpster. At this point, Turner proceeded to take advantage of the unconscious victim, who had an estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .22% (for perspective, the DMV reports a BAC of .08% is illegal to drive). Five minutes into the assault, two men spotted Turner on top of the victim, and tackled him after he tried to run away from the scene. When the men got to the victim, her dress had been pulled above her waist, underwear removed, and her hair covered in needles from a pine tree. She was unresponsive, and remained so for another three hours.

Turner was convicted of the intent to commit rape of an intoxicated person, penetration of an intoxicated, and penetration of an unconscious person in March. The controversy of this incident came after the prosecutors asked that Turner be sentenced to six years in prison, but Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge, Aaron Persky, gave him a six-month jail sentence with probation.

The outcome has spread outrage throughout the country as people feel Turner did not serve his justified sentence because of the fact that he was a good, young swimmer who had a lot going for himself.

Amid the outcries, young adults have been taking interest in the case. Ethan Bettis, senior, says, “There’s no black or white. You do the crime, you pay the time.” Bettis only repeats how many throughout the country feel. After Turner was released and returned to his home in Ohio, protesters flooded the perimeter of his home to show their support in a stronger conviction.

In a community where there are a lot of young girls getting ready to head off to college, it is important that girls and boys are aware of the statistics of rape. Many people are unaware of the crimes because so many go unrecorded, or in cases like this, many feel are unjustified. The victim of the Turner assault will be imprinted with this crime for the rest of her life; Carly Jewell, senior, said, “Absolutely, this girl will have to deal with this injustice for the rest of her life.” Bettis wondered, “What if your son or daughter was raped, and the perpetrator was let out six months later? I would think as a parent that would be horrifying.”
The Turner case could soon be in the past, but the series of events unfolding after his release may allow the victim to feel some sort of justice in the near future.