Does Justice Always Prevail?
In the recently political climate that has been brought about by the election of President Trump into office, many different facets of the justice system are being questioned. Along with these questions about how our system is functioning, questions have arisen regarding the morals and ethics of our current population. There has been recent uproar over the sentencing of Cyntoia Brown. At 16 years old, Cyntoia killed the man that solicited her for sex and who was known for being dangerous. For her actions, she was sentenced to at least 51 years in prison before even being eligible for release. This sentencing occurred over a decade ago and is just getting the attention that it deserves. Cyntoia’s situation recently gained the attention of several high profile celebrities, including Rihanna, whose Instagram post regarding her views on this topic is shown below (CNN, 2018).
CNN, 2018
According to an article that CNN posted earlier this month, Brown was tried as an adult and was sentenced as such because they argued that she didn’t need to kill him out of self-defense and instead her intention was to rob him. However, this man had taken her to his house for sex, making this non-consented and essentially a premeditated rape. It would seem that in this situation, even her juvenile status did not earn her a reduced sentence. The outrage over her sentencing is exacerbated when it is coupled with all the articles about rapists getting away with not much of a sentence to serve.
Many have heard about the case against Brock Turner, who was a “former Stanford University swimmer who was sentenced to six months in jail in 2016 for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman” (Hauser, 2018). Many believed that his sentence was too lenient for the crime he was committing. Social media increased public awareness of this incident, further increasing public anger and disbelief. Most of what social media emphasized was the fact that Brock Turner did not look like what a typical rapist is usually assumed to look like, thereby earning him a more lenient sentence. However, in the case of Cyntoia Brown, her use of self-defense in which she murdered the man who was going to rape her earned her 51 years in prison. However, the man who could’ve committed the rape gets away with only six months in jail. The comparison between these two cases bring to light the difference in how justice is served, when one crime out of self-defense is penalized at a much greater or harsher rate than a more morally incorrect crime of rape.
Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group, via Associated Press
Putting these two cases side to side really makes it seem as though justice is not being served adequately in our society. One would assume that a person who tried to commit rape would be penalized greater than a person who tried to act in self-defense. This also makes us question what type of image is being given to others. Rape victims will believe they will be ostracized if they come out to the public, and people in abusive relationships will fear to take action to remove themselves from the situation. If this is the message being given out, is justice really prevailing?
References:
CNN. (2018, December 09). Court: Cyntoia Brown must serve at least 51 yrs. Retrieved from https://www.nbc26.com/news/national/cyntoia-brown-life-sentence-decision-tennessee-supreme-court
Hauser, C. (2018, August 09). Brock Turner Loses Appeal to Overturn Sexual Assault Conviction. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/us/brock-turner-appeal.html