California Closes Loophole That Allowed Brock Turner's Light Sentence

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Huffington Post

California Closes Loophole That Allowed Brock Turner's Light Sentence

The law was inspired by the sexual assault case at Stanford University.

 01/10/2016 5:26 AM AEST | Updated 2 hours ago

California is closing the loophole that allowed a judge to sentence former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner to just six months in jail after being convicted of sexual assault.

Assembly Bill 2888, which Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed into law Friday, will impose mandatory prison sentences for people convicted of raping or sexually assaulting someone who was unconscious, intoxicated or otherwise incapable of giving consent. Previously, the state only required prison time for rape or sexual assault by force.

“As a general matter, I am opposed to adding more mandatory minimum sentences,” Brown said in a signing message. “Nevertheless, I am signing AB 2888, because I believe it brings a measure of parity to sentencing for criminal acts that are substantially similar.”

Turner, then a Stanford freshman, was charged in January 2015 with raping an unconscious woman whose blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit. He was convicted a year later on three felony counts of sexual assault: intent to commit rape of an intoxicated and unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person. Prosecutors recommended a six-year prison sentence.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/09/30/california-closes-loophole-that-allowed-brock-turners-light-sen/?utm_hp_ref=au-world

[ansible]

1. Yeah right, not like it matters as long as you're rich and have the money for high priced lawyers

[ananda]

2. Did they make it retroactive?

Turner belongs in jail for a long time.

[awoke_in_2003]

3. Retroactivity

would be illegal.

[niyad]

4. glad they finally got around to doing that

[AgadorSparticus]

5. That judge really needs to resign. His incompetence led to this.