Brock Turner now the literal textbook definition of rape

  • 14/09/2017

Brock Turner, the Stanford University swimmer whose lenient sexual assault sentence sparked an international outcry last year, is now the face of rape in a new textbook.

The course book's inclusion of Turner, a registered sex offender in Ohio, has been praised for bringing attention back to the case and explicitly referring to him as a rapist.

Heather Shuman, the Washington State University student who stumbled upon Turner's mugshot in the book and posted the page on social media, says she's pleased it's been brought up once again.

"He may have been able to get out of prison time, but in my Criminal Justice 101 textbook, Brock Turner is the definition of rape, so he's got that goin' for him," she wrote.

"It seemed like America just wanted to act as if he never happened, [so] I'm glad his name is resurfacing."

In March 2016, Turner's victim addressed him in a statement detailing the trauma of her experience and its aftermath, and expressed solidarity with girls across the world who had also been sexually assaulted.

The statement went viral, and Turner was later found guilty on three counts of sexual assault - though only spent three months in jail.

The textbook addresses the sentence in its caption, asking readers to consider whether it was too light.

"Some are shocked at how short this sentence is," it said.

"Others who are more familiar with the way sexual violence has been handled in the criminal justice system are shocked that he was found guilty and served any time at all. What do you think?"

Professor Callie Marie Rennison, the author of Introduction to Criminal Justice - the textbook the image of Turner appeared in - says she is honoured to be part of shaping the way rape is talked about in an academic context.

"Existing criminal justice books have focused on three elements: cops, courts and correction. They speak little about victims, reflecting how they have effectively been in the shadows of our criminal justice system," she said.

"In our book, victims are front and centre with equal emphasis as cops, courts and corrections. This is the way it should be."

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