Convicted Rapist Brock Allen Turner Out of Jail After Just 3 Months

At this point, the story of convicted rapist Brock Allen Turner isn’t really surprising; but that doesn’t make it less infuriating.

A few months ago we covered the Stanford University student who was sentenced to only six months in jail after he was found guilty of forcing himself on a drunk, unconscious girl behind a dumpster. Despite the victim reading a powerful statement in court about how the assault turned her life upside down, Judge Aaron Persky seemed more concerned about the “severe impact” a prison sentence would have on Turner because he happened to be good at swimming.

Now it turns out that even six months in jail is considered too long for him. After serving only half his sentence, Turner has been released for “good behavior” and is free to go.

It’s a sad reminder of how lightly sexual assault is taken by many people in law enforcement, particularly when the criminal is a white guy from a privileged family. Many people can’t help but notice that there’s much more public outrage over Colin Kaepernick, the football player who refused to stand for the national anthem as a protest of police brutality.

The news has sparked protests both outside the San Jose jail where Turner was released and outside his home, with calls for Judge Persky to be recalled.

Our host R.J. Aguiar has more, including a look at the different kind of controversy surrounding “Birth of a Nation” director Nate Parker’s rape allegations from 1999.