Read The Angry Letter A Juror Wrote To The Stanford Rape Case Judge

Despite the fact that a jury of 12 people convicted Stanford University student Brock Turner of three counts of sexual assault after he was found assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster, Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner to only six months in jail (though he will likely only serve three months). Now, one of those jurors is speaking out against the "ridiculously lenient sentence" Turner received. In the juror's impassioned letter to Judge Persky, published in Palo Alto Weekly on Monday, he writes that the sentence "makes a mockery of the whole trial and the ability of the justice system to protect victims of assault and rape." The juror, who wishes to remain anonymous, says that he recently became an American citizen after living in the country for 30 years, and was "frankly disappointed" by his first experience of serving on a jury. "Personally I have absolutely no doubt that Mr. Turner is guilty as charged and as convicted on all three counts," he says. "The predominantly male jury reached consensus of guilt on all three counts within two days of deliberation." Revealing that he and his fellow jurors reached a unanimous decision, he writes, "our verdicts were marginalized" based on Persky's "own personal opinion." The juror also calls out Persky's concern for the impact a jail sentence would have on Turner, rather than prioritizing the survivor. He worries that Turner's mild sentence will make survivors "less willing to report their attacks." "Justice has not been served in this case," he continues. "What message does this send to Emily Doe, and indeed all victims of sexual assault and rape, especially those on college campuses?" "Your concern was for the impact on the assailant. I vehemently disagree, our concern should be for the victim," he concludes. "Shame on you." The juror's letter echoes the widespread outrage against Persky in particular — his lenient sentence for Turner resulted in a Change.org petition calling for his resignation. At the time of writing, the petition for his removal had 1,221,899 signatures. Read the juror's full letter at Palo Alto Weekly.