Calif. gov signs stricter sexual assault laws in wake of Turner case
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed two sexual assault laws in response to national outrage over the sixmonth jail sentence given to a former Stanford University swimmer for assaulting a woman passed out near a trash bin.
The Democratic governor announced his approval yesterday of laws requiring longer sentences to be served in state prison for defendants convicted of assaulting unconscious victims, ending the possibility of brief jail sentences like the one Brock Turner received in June.
Turner faced a minimum sentence of two years in state prison, and prosecutors argued for six years. But Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky cited the “extraordinary circumstances” of Turner’s youth and clean criminal record in imposing a shorter term in county jail.
The new law removes a judge’s discretion to sentence an offender to jail, meaning future defendants will face state prison sentences as long as 14 years.
“Judge Persky’s ruling was unjustifiable and morally wrong, however, under current state law it was within his discretion. While we can’t go back and change what happened, we have made sure it never happens again,” Assemblyman Evan Low said in a statement. “If you do the crime, you’re going to do the time.”
Turner’s case burst into the spotlight after a poignant statement from the victim swept through social media.
Politicians and law enforcement officials have lined up alongside sexual assault survivors to criticize Turner’s sentence, back a recall effort against the judge who imposed it and urge Brown to sign the tougher sentencing legislation.