Earlier this month in a well known sexual assault case involving a student athlete/now convicted rapist from Stanford University, the victim provided a copy of her victim impact statment to Buzzfeed News. The statement was read by the victim at the defendan'ts sentencing hearing and since its exposure in Buzzfeed News,  it's been published in multiple newspapers throughout the country, read in its entirety live on CNN and was read into the congressonal record this month. In modern terms, it's gone viral and there is a reason. It profoundly captures the sexual assault victim experience and the subsequent, all-too-common justice experience, better than just about anything else prior to its publication. 

The defendant in the case was convicted of three federal offenses, and even though the prosecuter recommended 6 years in prison, and even though sentencing guidelines recommend 14 years, the judge in the case sentenced the defendant to 6 months in county jail for fear that anything more "would cause him additional harm".

It is interesting to note that the judge is a former Standford student athlete.

Since the Buzzfeed news story broke, the defendant support letters have been made public, one of which is from the defendant's father who not only never mentions the victim once, but states that his son should not recieve a harsh sentence for "20 minutes of action". A childhood friend of the defendant provided a letter also and blamed the conviction on political correctness. The defendant provided a statement to the court before his sentencing. He blamed the entire incident on excessive drinking and promescuity. 

As far as blame goes, the jury disagreed.

If you would like to read the victim statement in its entirety, you can do so at the link below. TRIGGER WARNING. It is a long read worthy of your time but may be too much for some sexual assault survivors. 

 Victim Statement