# Stupid Privileged White Kid Gets 6 Months for Rape, Father describes it as "20 minutes of action" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 7, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733 "2016-06-07T14:12:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/381 "2016-09-06T17:51:12Z")
> [@spike\_beagle](#): > > Can’t his verdict be challenged in a higher court? I am not American , so i don’t know how the legal system in the US works. The defendant can appeal to have a conviction overturned or sentence reduced, but the double jeopardy clause of the 5th amendment prevents the government from doing so. I believe that also applies to prosecutors seeking a harsher sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/382 "2016-09-06T18:10:34Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > The defendant can appeal to have a conviction overturned or sentence reduced, but the double jeopardy clause of the 5th amendment prevents the government from doing so. I believe that also applies to prosecutors seeking a harsher sentence. Yes, in criminal cases, the government cannot appeal a not-guilty verdict nor can it appeal for a harsher sentence. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/383 "2016-09-06T18:57:02Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Yes. > > Isn’t it even worse, if a woman is _also_ forced into unwanted pregnancy? It’s everything’s that’s always awful, plus an additional crime and violation. How **dare** you. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/384 "2016-09-06T19:06:37Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > or maybe he has siblings who can take care of him. And are suckers enough to actually do so. Me… if it were me, “I have no brother Brock”. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/385 "2016-09-06T19:16:59Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > I’m wondering, Slacker, if you’ve been raped? Because I have. And I’ve been sexually assaulted. And there is no worst, there is no choice to be made. Its Sophie’s Choice - there isn’t one. If you want all sexual crimes to be treated with equal severity, you are welcome to lobby for that change in the law. But I would lobby against such a change. If someone gets punished equally for, on the one hand, a brutal and prolonged rape and sodomization that leaves the child victim needing to be rushed to intensive care; and on the other hand, an unwanted smack on the ass in a crowded bar, I just don’t think society will accept that. It will either leave the former offender punished too lightly, or be far too draconian for the guy in the second instance, who is a jerk and should not completely get away with what he is doing, but should also not get years in prison. BTW, Sophie did make a choice. If I were given the option of losing both my children or choosing one to spare, you better believe I would pick one. > [@Steve\_MB](#): > > And are suckers enough to actually do so. Me… if it were me, “I have no brother Brock”. Easy to say when it’s not your kin. Even serial killers and pedophiles often have family members that still love them. Another point about this case that occurred to me. It would have been unjust for Turner to get away scot free with his crime, but I wonder if his victim would have been better off if it had not been discovered, as long as she didn’t die of exposure or asphyxiate on her own vomit or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/386 "2016-09-06T19:23:10Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > I feel for his neighbors - they are the ones that did nothing wrong and now have protesters on their sidewalks and are likely to see the house they live next to vandalized. Not to mention what sort of an effect a guy who’s going to show up in Megan’s Law listings would have on the neighbors’ property values. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/387 "2016-09-06T20:19:50Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Not to mention what sort of an effect a guy who’s going to show up in Megan’s Law listings would have on the neighbors’ property values. This is ridiculous. I challenge you to find an urban or suburban neighborhood in or near a major metro area that doesn’t have sex offenders living there. I live in a comfortable urban neighborhood in San Diego. The area where i live is primarily single-family dwellings, as well as a considerable number of small condo and apartment complexes. The neighborhood makeup is comfortably middle class, and gentrifying, with a lot of young and middle-aged professionals. There are also smatterings of poorer and working-class people, especially in some of the older apartment complexes. There are a few places that are clearly Section 8 housing as well. I feel incredibly safe in this area, as does my wife. There are about 30 registered sex offenders in my zip code alone. When i lived in Baltimore, in a slightly less affluent but still pretty nice neighborhood, a five-minute walk from the main campus of Johns Hopkins University, the number was close to 80. Here in San Diego, there are even half a dozen or so in La Jolla, probably one of the most expensive places in the country. It doesn’t stop those ocean-view mansions selling for $8 million. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/388 "2016-09-06T20:24:24Z")
The National Board of Economic Research disagrees - [Megan's Law Hits Local Property Prices | NBER](http://www.nber.org/digest/jun06/w12253.html) As does Landmark Research (pdf file) - [http://www.landmarkresearch.com/Articles/PDF/MegansLaw.pdf](http://www.landmarkresearch.com/Articles/PDF/MegansLaw.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/389 "2016-09-06T20:27:38Z")
How does one go about finding out if there are registered sex offenders in your neighborhood? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/390 "2016-09-06T20:31:15Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > How does one go about finding out if there are registered sex offenders in your neighborhood? Go down to your local elementary school playground and start asking around. Make sure you wear a trench coat and sunglasses. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/391 "2016-09-06T20:39:09Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > This is ridiculous. I challenge you to find an urban or suburban neighborhood in or near a major metro area that doesn’t have sex offenders living there. It’s not ridiculous. I live in a large metro area, and the closest registered offender is about a mile away from me. There’s a big difference between living a mile away and on the same block when it comes to harming property values. > [@Baker](#): > > How does one go about finding out if there are registered sex offenders in your neighborhood? Start [here](http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/megan-s-law-resources-by-state.html). ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/392 "2016-09-06T21:37:00Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > Not sure about the legalities of it, but the witch hunt for Brock Turner has gone waaaaay over the top. We GET IT. America is stuck in a “rape culture” but theres other ways to correct that other than stalking this kid for the rest of his life. He paid his debt to society, and his life is ruined. I suppose many of these people wont be satisfied until the kid takes his own life. :rolleyes: > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > He _escaped_ his debt to society. That’s the point of the thread. And he’s not a “Kid”, he’s a man. I have a hard time feeling any sympathy for Brock Turner and HIS ruined life. Those sympathies are reserved for his victim. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/393 "2016-09-06T21:37:44Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > If you want all sexual crimes to be treated with equal severity, you are welcome to lobby for that change in the law. But I would lobby against such a change. If someone gets punished equally for, on the one hand, a brutal and prolonged rape and sodomization that leaves the child victim needing to be rushed to intensive care; and on the other hand, an unwanted smack on the ass in a crowded bar, I just don’t think society will accept that. It will either leave the former offender punished too lightly, or be far too draconian for the guy in the second instance, who is a jerk and should not completely get away with what he is doing, but should also not get years in prison. Stop creating strawmen. Those are two different actions. The rape crime is the same exact action. Whether she gets pregnant or not, the same rape occurred. The outcome may be worse, but the crime is the same. That is not remotely like your made up scenario. If we stick with what you’re saying, there’s a perverse incentive to keep the baby, just so you can more thoroughly punish the rapist. You make sure that they get a lesser sentence if the victim uses Plan B to avoid getting pregnant. It’s goddamned fucking stupid. And does it not matter to you at all that you are talking to an actual rape victim, with actual experience? Are you really that fucking emotionally calloused? Are you that much of a Republican that you think you can mansplain about rape? And, yeah, I used that word, even though I don’t particularly like it. But I needed an insult to get across the horribleness of what you keep doing. > [@](#): > > Another point about this case that occurred to me. It would have been unjust for Turner to get away scot free with his crime, but I wonder if his victim would have been better off if it had not been discovered, as long as she didn’t die of exposure or asphyxiate on her own vomit or anything. O my fucking God! Did you even stop to think even once? You just posited that it would be better for the rape victim if the rapist went free. It’s like your morality is just fundamentally broken. You just keep saying these absolutely horrible things. This is literally a rape-apologist talking point. It’s like you’re trying to destroy any good will I could have for you. At least before I could think you were a consequentialist, who didn’t get that intent matters. I could at least think you were connecting with “attempted murder,” which tends to (erroneously, in my opinion) get a lesser sentence than actual murder. But here it’s becoming even more clear that you are just saying shit to piss everyone off. Or are just a fundamentally broken person. Here’s a hint: if the guy who was nice to you can’t figure out how to be nice to you anymore, maybe it’s a sign you need to stop being such an asshole? My tolerance for you is lower than that of people who actively troll me. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/394 "2016-09-06T21:39:11Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The National Board of Economic Research disagrees - [http://www.nber.org/digest/jun06/w12253.html](http://www.nber.org/digest/jun06/w12253.html) > > As does Landmark Research (pdf file) - [http://www.landmarkresearch.com/Articles/PDF/MegansLaw.pdf](http://www.landmarkresearch.com/Articles/PDF/MegansLaw.pdf) Those are interesting. I have considerable confidence in the NBER, so i’m happy to accept the conclusions of their report. I withdraw my objection. The [findings](http://www.nber.org/papers/w12253) of the report do point up a certain irrationality in people’s response to sex offenders. > [@](#): > > We find statistically and economically significant negative effects of sex offenders’ locations that are extremely localized. Houses within a one-tenth mile area around the home of a sex offender fall by 4 percent on average (about $5,500). We also find evidence that the effect varies with distance within this range – houses next to an offender sell for about 12 percent less while those a tenth of a mile away or more show no decline. So, if your house is, say, 200 feet from a sex offender’s house, it might suffer a noticeable decline in property values, but if you’re 600 feet away, that must mean that you’re completely safe, and the house value won’t decline at all. Because we all know that sex offenders only pose a danger to the people who live within five minutes walk. More generally, i’m not sure that this is something that deserves much concern. After all, the sex offender registration procedures that lead to such declines in real estate values have, in considerable measure, been pushed by citizens who believe that they constitute a basic protection for the general public. If members of society think that forcing the registration of sex offenders is appropriate for people’s safety, then the risk of taking a hit on real estate values is part of the tradeoff that we accept for that safety. Finally, the Megan’s Law registration in Turner’s case is basically irrelevant to the story. The purpose of Megan’s Law is to inform the public, but in this case, the public needs no informing. Everyone knew who Turner was well before he showed up at the police station to register as a sex offender. If his neighbors’ property values take a hit, i imagine it will be because of the massive national attention this story has received, and not because of the sex offender registry. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/395 "2016-09-06T22:09:18Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And does it not matter to you at all that you are talking to an actual rape victim, with actual experience? I have not told, and will not tell, her how to feel about her own experience. But this is the Pit, for pity’s sake. For someone to come in here and expect to dictate what everyone else’s policy preferences must be, and for it to be considered beyond the pale to calmly and dispassionately argue for my position, is absurd. Do you also believe it’s despicable for a defense attorney to actively defend an accused rapist? > [@BigT](#): > > Are you really that fucking emotionally calloused? Are you that much of a Republican that you think you can mansplain about rape? You know damn well (due to the threads we both frequent) that I’m not _any_ amount Republican–and that’s the only thing you said that really offended me. In one of those threads, I even talked about how I had tears streaming down my face during Hillary’s acceptance speech, which puts the lie to your “emotionally calloused” dig as well. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/396 "2016-09-06T22:26:59Z")
Nm ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/397 "2016-09-06T22:56:42Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I even talked about how I had tears streaming down my face during Hillary’s acceptance speech, Shut up, SlackerTard!!😛 > [@BigT](#): > > O my fucking God! Did you even stop to think even once? You just posited that it would be better for the rape victim if the rapist went free. It’s like your morality is just fundamentally broken. > > You just keep saying these absolutely horrible things. This is literally a rape-apologist talking point. It’s like you’re trying to destroy any good will I could have for you. At least before I could think you were a consequentialist, who didn’t get that intent matters. I could at least think you were connecting with “attempted murder,” which tends to (erroneously, in my opinion) get a lesser sentence than actual murder. > > But here it’s becoming even more clear that you are just saying shit to piss everyone off. Or are just a fundamentally broken person. > > Here’s a hint: if the guy who was nice to you can’t figure out how to be nice to you anymore, maybe it’s a sign you need to stop being such an asshole? My tolerance for you is lower than that of people who actively troll me. See, you arent looking at this as a shades of gray matter. I think he is sayingf that it would have saved the rapists victim additional pain and embarrassment had this case not received the publicity that it did. So, was a very public trial that resulted in three moinths behind bars for the rapist worth the additional pain for the victim? I cant say that I agree with SlackerInc but I think that I understand where he is coming from and his position isnt nearly as horrible as you portray it. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/398 "2016-09-06T22:57:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > O my fucking God! Did you even stop to think even once? You just posited that it would be better for the rape victim if the rapist went free. No, I think he just posited that it would have been better for the victim not to know she was sexually assaulted. I haven’t been following this entire thread so I’m not sure how that’s relevant, but it’s a comment that seems more targeted to the well-being of the rape victim than wanting rapists to go free. I disagree that digital penetration is not rape, but let’s not twist words here. (Shit, I’ve been trying to avoid this thread.) ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/399 "2016-09-06T23:14:06Z")
Yes, you are both right She has said she did not know she had been sexually assaulted until being told in the hospital. I can’t help but feel that it would have been easier on her if she had never known. I guess my concern about her emotional well-being makes me a monster somehow. 😕 ETA: Maybe those two guys should have given Brock a severe beating, and then taken the victim to the hospital and simply told everyone that she had been passed out behind the dumpster. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/400 "2016-09-06T23:15:39Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > No, I think he just posited that it would have been better for the victim not to know she was sexually assaulted. I haven’t been following this entire thread so I’m not sure how that’s relevant, but it’s a comment that seems more targeted to the well-being of the rape victim than wanting rapists to go free. > > I disagree that digital penetration is not rape, but let’s not twist words here. > > (Shit, I’ve been trying to avoid this thread.) The thing is is that the way this rape happened - there wasn’t anyway for her to pretend nothing happened. Women don’t accidentally end up with leaves in their vaginas…at least I never have and none of my friends ever have mentioned it (there was the tick incident…we won’t go there…it was a walk in the woods with lots of ticks). And, well this is the internet, I won’t say no woman has ever voluntarily let a lover stick leaves up her vagina, but I think it would be fair to say that would be an unusual kink. This isn’t wake up in some guys dorm room with him snoring next to you while you can’t remember a damn thing and thinking “oh, shit, what have I done?” where you can fool yourself into believing there was consent (and maybe there even was) - and him, being a gentleman, offers you his poptarts when you exchange names the next morning. No, this is something that was done to you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733.md?page=21)