# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/141 "2016-06-09T09:43:31Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > One more time. It. Does. Not. Matter. if a person gave consent while drunk. A drunk person can’t give consent. Err… There are clearly some shades of grey here. I’m pretty clearly able to give consent after a few beers. A lot of people get drunk and then want to have sex. Obviously, there’s a line between “I’m a little tipsy, stick it in my pooper” (my experience at a club not that long ago) and blackout drunk, but given how long it takes to process alcohol, I don’t think it’s impossible for that line to be crossed at some point between giving consent the act ending. This, obviously, sucks. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/142 "2016-06-09T09:56:54Z")
This is just a minor nit-pick with regards to the judge in this case, but I’m confused as how he’s referred to as the captain of the Stanford lacrosse team. As an East Coast guy who played in the top Baltimore prep league, no one thought of Stanford as a lax school back then (80’s). Hell, I would not have minded a lax scholarship to Stanford… But did they only have a club team? They wee not a real NCAA team. The judge’s characterization as some Stanford lacrosse athlete might be he was some wannabe. And then maybe he gave sympathy to a guy on a real Stanford team, with regards to the sentence? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/143 "2016-06-09T10:01:46Z")
> [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](#): > > Along with the six month jail (not prison) time, he got three years probation and, more importantly, sex-offender registry for life, which is no small thing. He’s most likely appealing the verdict in hopes of getting out of being on the sex offender registry. I wonder if the fact that he will be on the registry, and there is anything the judge could do about that, a factor in the sentencing, in the judge’s mind. Maybe the judge is thinking “being a registered sex offender for life is so punitive, he’ll suffer enough. He doesn’t NEED hard time.” I’m on record as not being a fan of the sex registry, especially “for life.” I’d much rather see him get a 10 year prison sentence, with double time allotted for good behavior, the way it is in most states, so he might be on parole (which isn’t probation) for five years after serving five years of actual prison time, then after that, another 2-3 years of probation where he could have conditions of probation like not drinking, and he’d be monitored, albeit not as closely as he was on parole, and have him be a felon for the rest of his life, which is bad enough, and a predicate felon if he ever commits another felony, even a non-violent one, so that a sentence for anything he does in the future will be longer and stronger, but after the 12 or 13 years, while he will still be a convicted felon, and an ex-con, he will be able to get a job, and live anywhere. He won’t be driven to living off the grid, or into illegal activities-- or in this kid’s particular, probably sponging off his parents, maybe even living with them, as long as they are not within a mile of a school or park. I have no way of knowing what was in the judge’s head, but I’ve just added another reason to my list of reason’s why I’m against the registry-- it might result in lighter sentencing, if it’s considered as a sentencing factor, you know, one of the things on the scale the judge weighs when he considers whether someone has been punished enough. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/144 "2016-06-09T10:12:07Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Err… There are clearly some shades of grey here. I’m pretty clearly able to give consent after a few beers. A lot of people get drunk and then want to have sex. Obviously, there’s a line between “I’m a little tipsy, stick it in my pooper” (my experience at a club not that long ago) and blackout drunk, but given how long it takes to process alcohol, I don’t think it’s impossible for that line to be crossed at some point between giving consent the act ending. This, obviously, sucks. It really depends on a lot of things. I’ve had sex with my husband while tipsy. My husband of, at the time, probably more than 10 years (it was 15 last March). In the context of an ongoing relationship, you know whether your partner is going to be OK with it in the morning. A hook-up is a completely different thing. You don’t need to hear specific verbal consent every single time from a longtime SO, but everything needs to be very clear cut with a hook-up, especially with a stranger. I don’t want to judge, but hook-ups with strangers are fraught with metaphoric landmines, relationships, and even casual hook-ups with friends are different. Personally, I’ve never slept with someone I just met, mainly because I was in my 20s in the late 80s and early 90s, but I don’t think I would even if I suddenly found myself single now, and it’s not a morals problem. ---
**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:** [June 9, 2016, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/145 "2016-06-09T10:13:40Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > A drunk person can’t give consent. Cite? I mean, if this is legally true, then something like 99.99999% of rapes are going unreported. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/146 "2016-06-09T11:43:46Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Err… There are clearly some shades of grey here. I’m pretty clearly able to give consent after a few beers. A lot of people get drunk and then want to have sex. Obviously, there’s a line between “I’m a little tipsy, stick it in my pooper” (my experience at a club not that long ago) and blackout drunk, but given how long it takes to process alcohol, I don’t think it’s impossible for that line to be crossed at some point between giving consent the act ending. This, obviously, sucks. There’s no shade of grey whatsoever. Either a person wants to fuck you, or they don’t. If they don’t but do when plied with drinks, then taking advantage of it is rape. Simple and clear line. So how do you know the difference ? You take them home, put them in bed and sleep on the couch or call them in the morning. Again, simple. ---
**Author:** ![WilyQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WilyQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilyQuixote)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/147 "2016-06-09T11:44:34Z")
I was enjoying reading this pitting of an over privileged and entitled turd who received a shockingly light sentence. But no rape discussion thread on the internet is ever complete until someone raises the “false allegations” boogeyman. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/148 "2016-06-09T11:52:26Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Cite? I mean, if this is legally true, then something like 99.99999% of rapes are going unreported. OK then. Yes… yes they are. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/149 "2016-06-09T12:55:45Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Much as Brock Turner deserves every ounce of scorn that’s coming his way, I can’t really get behind the internet shaming of the ancilliary characters who came out in support of him - especially the ones who have been outed as supporting him based on statements they made **before** he was convicted. > > Leslie Rassmussen, for instance, is clearly dumb as a stone, but mostly because she obviously still believes, deep in her heart of hearts, that the events of the evening include the victim voluntarily getting it on with Brock, and consenting while still conscious. Not because she thinks that collaring a random near-unconscious woman, shoving her behind a dumpster, beating her and sticking pine needles inside of her is an ok thing to do. I wouldn’t want to make a friend of anyone so bloody stupid, but I’d be willing to go see a band she was in - I’m sure I’ve seen bands plenty of times before that had band members just as idiotic as she is. But you can be a long time friend, and write a heartfelt letter in support of Turner, without turning it into a “they were both drunk, and she’s probably lying” disaster. I’m guessing there were letters from other friends that took exactly that route - praised him for what he did and who he was in high school, but didn’t go into any sort of defense of the crime itself. And as said before - those letters were written after conviction, before sentencing. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/150 "2016-06-09T13:08:15Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Typical liberal apologists, throwing women under the bus. “We have to defend Bill Clinton’s sexual harassment, otherwise, the conservatives will have scored a political point!” Now it’s “We have to allow this judge to sentence rapists lightly, or else minorities will get heavy sentences!” > > Keep voting for these guys, feminists. Maybe your interests (other than the sacred right to abortion) will come first in line some day. Any year, now. ☹ … any year now. But not this year when making a point about the Democrats being to moderate could endanger abortion rights. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/151 "2016-06-09T13:18:51Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > [How Racial Bias Influenced Stanford Swimmer's Rape Case](https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/brock-turner-rape-case-sentencing-racial-bias) > > Because there is no reasonable doubt that, had this person been a black man, had he not been privileged first by his wealth, then by his skin color (which is almost certainly a factor in his wealth), that the headline would not be “Stanford Swimmer gets 6 months”. Rather, it probably would have been something like “Thug Rapist gets 14 years”. From your article: > [@](#): > > Abrams was surprised that he was not able to find any statistically meaningful racial difference between blacks and whites in terms of sentence length, though he suspects it has more to do with his sample than the fact that racial bias in sentencing doesn’t exist. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/152 "2016-06-09T13:23:35Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > ETA: If the answer is to declare that drunk people are not competent to consent to sex, I can see the logic…however, that throws a grenade into the social order for a huge swath of the population, especially those in their late teens and early twenties. So did getting serious about drunk driving. So did turning bars into no smoking areas. You know, we humans adapt to change. Its my wedding anniversary today - 21 years. We are going out to dinner. I might have a couple glasses of wine and have sex with my husband. After 21 years, we know this is OK with both of us. If I were a young guy (and my son is 17, I’ve given this advice), I’d never get my dick close to a woman who was drunk unless we’d already had sex more than once. Just like I don’t get in a car with someone who may have been drinking, unless I know that they had a single glass of wine an hour ago. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/153 "2016-06-09T14:31:48Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > One more time. It. Does. Not. Matter. if a person gave consent while drunk. A drunk person can’t give consent. Then I’ve been raping my wife and/or she’s been raping me at least once a week for almost 10 years. Should we turn ourselves in and sign up for the sex offender registry ourselves, or what? How utterly absurd. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/154 "2016-06-09T15:14:42Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Then I’ve been raping my wife and/or she’s been raping me at least once a week for almost 10 years. Should we turn ourselves in and sign up for the sex offender registry ourselves, or what? > > How utterly absurd. Yeah, who do I call to report all those instances of females riding me cowgirl while I was drunk! :eek::eek: Drunk sex isn’t necessarily rape, sometimes–and this is the key part–with a willing partner, it can be fun! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/155 "2016-06-09T15:46:43Z")
I’m going to go against the flow here: Isn’t it best for society as a whole that criminals spend only the minimum amount of time in prison necessary to ensure that they don’t re-offend? If 6 months in prison is enough to ensure that Brock never commits another crime and becomes a productive member of society, isn’t 6 months the appropriate sentence? Is the purpose of prison to punish or to rehabilitate? Society benefits when people are out of prison and working. Every day that someone spends in prison beyond the point necessary to ensure they don’t re-offend is a drag on society. And a prison sentence that guarantees that someone can never work again is basically a permanent loss to us. Now maybe, based on this guy’s comments, 6 months isn’t enough to prevent him from raping another woman. But that doesn’t mean to me that 6 months is necessarily an insufficient sentence. The judge spent more time with Brock than I have, and is presumably more experienced in determining how much jail time is necessary to prevent future criminal behavior. Maybe he’s right; maybe after spending 6 months in jail, Brock will never consider going near another woman without her explicit consent. Maybe he’ll never drink again. Maybe he’ll grow up, get a job, behave himself for the rest of his life. In that case the judge was right. I guess a potential counter-argument is that harsh punishments for criminals prevent other people from committing crimes. But I think I remember reading that it’s not the severity of punishment that reduces crime, but the likelihood of being caught. Maybe I’m just not ready to jump down the judge’s throat just yet. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/156 "2016-06-09T16:02:44Z")
**Evil Economist** , that may be a valid point in the stand-alone abstract, but there’s a whole environment of context that affects our perception of the adequacy of this penalty. Especially galling is the refusal to acknowledge sole responsibility for actual wrongdoing against the victim. Add to that how all of us strongly suspect that if this were some working-class townie he’d be facing hard time. If we could have some confidence that someone without his privileges would be equally treated, and if we perceived credible repentance, we would be more willing to take the chance on rehabilitation above redress. ---
**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:** [June 9, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/157 "2016-06-09T16:08:00Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > I guess a potential counter-argument is that harsh punishments for criminals prevent other people from committing crimes. But I think I remember reading that it’s not the severity of punishment that reduces crime, but the likelihood of being caught. This is partly it but not quite. Rapists like this guy aren’t choosing to rape or not based on their likelihood of being caught. It’s because they don’t think it’s rape or see it as a big deal. A light sentence plays into this perception. The value of a longer sentence isn’t in convincing other would-be rapists to beware of the consequences. It’s in the message that this is rape, not drunken hijinks. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/158 "2016-06-09T16:36:43Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Then I’ve been raping my wife and/or she’s been raping me at least once a week for almost 10 years. Should we turn ourselves in and sign up for the sex offender registry ourselves, or what? > > How utterly absurd. So, for almost 10 years you’ve only have sex with your wife when you or she or both of you are drunk? Pity. I think the main source of the outrage here is that at no time has the assailant or his family expressed remorse or regret for his actions. “I was drunk and didn’t know what I was doing,” I could believe if it was followed by, “I regret what I did,” and a sincere apology to the victim. This hasn’t happened. Instead we have a lot of blame-shifting. I am a regular participant at Burning Man where alcohol and sex both run rampant. While I like to believe the number of sexual assaults is fewer than in most cities of 70,000 it isn’t zero.\* In view of this a group calling themselves [B.E.D](http://www.bureauoferoticdiscourse.org/) (the Bureau of Erotic Discourse) has sprung up to help navigate those rocky shoals. A repeated theme is **Avoid initiating things with someone who is underage, loaded, or otherwise unable to give legal consent. If you want to play while high, make your agreements beforehand.** Perhaps frathouses and other places where alcohol and young people mix should start their parties with something like [this](http://www.bureauoferoticdiscourse.org/theme_camp_challenge). \*Actually, the number of reported sexual assaults last year _was_ zero, but we all know how under-reported SAs are. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/159 "2016-06-09T16:50:58Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I give you a pass Ok everbody, time to lay off CCitizen. BigT gave him a pass. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-privileged-white-kid-gets-6-months-for-rape-father-describes-it-as-20-minutes-of-action/756733/160 "2016-06-09T17:20:52Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > I’m going to go against the flow here: Isn’t it best for society as a whole that criminals spend only the minimum amount of time in prison necessary to ensure that they don’t re-offend? If 6 months in prison is enough to ensure that Brock never commits another crime and becomes a productive member of society, isn’t 6 months the appropriate sentence? Is the purpose of prison to punish or to rehabilitate? > > Society benefits when people are out of prison and working. Every day that someone spends in prison beyond the point necessary to ensure they don’t re-offend is a drag on society. And a prison sentence that guarantees that someone can never work again is basically a permanent loss to us. > > Now maybe, based on this guy’s comments, 6 months isn’t enough to prevent him from raping another woman. But that doesn’t mean to me that 6 months is necessarily an insufficient sentence. The judge spent more time with Brock than I have, and is presumably more experienced in determining how much jail time is necessary to prevent future criminal behavior. Maybe he’s right; maybe after spending 6 months in jail, Brock will never consider going near another woman without her explicit consent. Maybe he’ll never drink again. Maybe he’ll grow up, get a job, behave himself for the rest of his life. In that case the judge was right. > > I guess a potential counter-argument is that harsh punishments for criminals prevent other people from committing crimes. But I think I remember reading that it’s not the severity of punishment that reduces crime, but the likelihood of being caught. > > Maybe I’m just not ready to jump down the judge’s throat just yet. What is best for society? > [@](#): > > Otter: Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests - we did. > > [winks at Dean Wormer] > > Otter: But you can’t hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn’t we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn’t this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn’t this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we’re not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America. Gentlemen! I don’t agree with the recall measure against the judge–I believe they [judges] should not take mob rule into account when doing their job, but that guy is a jackass. [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=7) [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=9)