Stanford Student gets Lifetime on Registry
was outraged at the recent Stanford Rape incident.
A championship swimmer at the college, his sights set on the Olympics, rapes a young woman and is charged with 3 felonies. His sentence, 6 months in jail, 3 years probation and a lifetime on the registry.
I was outraged. But what was I so angry about?
Was it the fact that he raped someone? The lenient sentence that he received? The lifetime on the registry?
I had to take a step back and think this one through.
Yes, he committed a crime and rape should be considered a “violent, contact crime”. He should be held responsible and receive an appropriate punishment. As for a lifetime on the registry, no one deserves that.
So what was the cause of my fury? I thought some more.
And then it was clear.
With everything this young man did, his sentence was less, much less, then many of the sentences others have received for lesser, non-violent, non-contact child pornography crimes. His sentence was essentially, a slap on the wrist compared to what others have received.
Therein lay the source of my outrage.
Another privileged young man at any Ivy league school had gotten off easy. While others less fortunate financially languish in prisons for years, for lesser offenses, this young man will be be walking free. He’ll be on the registry, but still, he’ll be out of prison.
Yes, I was outraged, but I had to admit I was also silently jealous and envious too. His priviledge in life had obviously made a difference in his sentence. A difference that others don’t get a chance at. It wasn’t fair.
What had happened to “liberty and justice for all” in this country?.
Guess I will need to think some more about that too!
