Judge criticized in Brock Turner sex assault case faces recall vote

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

Judge criticized in Brock Turner sex assault case could lose his job

The recall push has divided lawyers, academics, feminists and criminal justice activists across California.

by Daniel Arkin / Jun.05.2018 / 8:01 AM ET

"In the summer of 2016, Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer, was sentenced to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a campus dumpster. That sentence, considered by many to be too lenient, provoked national backlash that foreshadowed the rise of #MeToo.

Judge Aaron Persky of State Superior Court in Santa Clara County, who was not widely known before taking the case, quickly became the target of public rage. Persky has said he was following the rule of law, not the rule of public opinion, and says he has no regrets. But in the eyes of many critics, the judge had sent a clear message: The legal system does not take campus sexual assault seriously.

The furor against Persky, 56, will culminate on Tuesday when Silicon Valley voters head to the polls to decide whether he should be kicked off the bench. If that happens, Persky would be the first judge recalled in California in 86 years."​

The article states that Turner was convicted of 3 felonies yet was only sentenced to 6 months and was released in 3. I believe this may be a huge contributor to the sense of outrage that many people feel regarding this sentence. Generally, or at least in my state, you receive up to a year for a misdemeanor conviction while the sentence for felonies begin at one year. Another issue if I recall correctly is that the judge didn't want to harm Turner's eligibility or something regarding his being a member of the swim team. In other words both the judge and Turner's dad mentioned not letting this "one" incident of his life ruin the rest of it or something to that affect.

If I'm not mistaken, people get more time for stealing money (as opposed to property - try stealing from the bank) than they do for physically violating another human being. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons why we have the aggression and violence problems that we do in our country, we place a higher value on money than we do on human lives in many cases.

Bank Robbery Punishment
As mentioned above, the charge of bank robbery is only one that a person can face as a result of a robbery. Additional charges including kidnapping, assault, and even murder could be faced. As a result, the specifics of a robbery will have a direct impact on the resulting punishment. Fines can range from $1,000 up to tens of thousands. Prison sentences usually begin at around 10 years in prison and will reach 25 years for a standard robbery charge. When kidnapping or murder is included as well, life sentences and possibly the death penalty could be punishments as well. Criminal history and other factors can influence the punishment handed down if a conviction occurs.
Bank Robbery Laws

 

[BlackFlag]

Trump will probably pardon him

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Having Judges subject to the will of the people is bad for justice. Its a step away from the lynch mob.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

Having Judges subject to the will of the people is bad for justice. Its a step away from the lynch mob.

The ability to recall a judge was written into California's law and the original article mentioned that this is the first time in 87 years that a judge has been recalled via the vote so it's not like it's being used indiscriminately. That's hardly mob justice.

I personally believe that in this particular case this result is a good thing if for no other reason than as a reminder that there can be consequences for bias when officers of the court are supposed to avoid even the appearance of such (he should not have been advocating on behalf of the defendant).

There is no reason that 3 felony convictions resulted in Turner only being sentenced to 6 months and was out in 3, his swimming career notwithstanding.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Having Judges subject to the will of the people is bad for justice. Its a step away from the lynch mob.

The ability to recall a judge was written into California's law and the original article mentioned that this is the first time in 87 years that a judge has been recalled via the vote so it's not like it's being used indiscriminately. That's hardly mob justice.

I personally believe that in this particular case this result is a good thing if for no other reason than as a reminder that there can be consequences for bias when officers of the court are supposed to avoid even the appearance of such (he should not have been advocating on behalf of the defendant).

There is no reason that 3 felony convictions resulted in Turner only being sentenced to 6 months and was out in 3, his swimming career notwithstanding.

In the UK you can appeal against a sentence - if you feel its too light or too harsh. So sentences can get reduced or increased.
On the evidence it looks like this judge was way out of line and the punishment looks too light.
But I havent seen all of the evidence.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

In the UK you can appeal against a sentence - if you feel its too light or too harsh. So sentences can get reduced or increased.
On the evidence it looks like this judge was way out of line and the punishment looks too light.
But I havent seen all of the evidence.

There was a whole lot of outrage when the crime was first revealed but even more so when Judge Persky handed down that sentence.

This link will take you to a site where you can read the letter the victim read to her rapist
Here's The Powerful Letter The Stanford Victim Read To Her Attacker