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Brock Turner: How His Post-Jail Life Is Playing Out [Video]

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 07:29 PST, Sep 5, 2016

Brock Turner, the infamous former Stanford University student and swimmer, was released from a California jail on Friday after serving only half of his sentence. Turner had been sentenced to six months in jail after being convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman back in January of 2015.

As CNN reports, Brock Turner’s sentence drew public ire, outrage, and protests, with many believing that the now-21-year-old (now commonly referred to as the Stanford rapist) was the beneficiary of white privilege and the rape culture of the United States. Tempers flared even further when it became public knowledge that Brock Turner would have his jail sentence cut in half for so-called good behavior while incarcerated.

The public backlash against the sentencing of Brock Turner for crimes that could have resulted in 14 years in prison, generally have a mandatory minimum sentence of at least two years in prison and which the prosecution requested at least six years in prison spilled over onto the judge in the case. After the Brock Turner sentencing, Judge Aaron Persky found himself the subject of death threats, protests, and an online recall petition that got over two million signatures.

Persky has since stopped hearing criminal cases, but his opponents say that’s not enough and are still fighting diligently to get him off the bench.

Despite the public anger over the sentence of Brock Turner and the further anger over his early release, it was still granted. In the wee morning hours of Friday, September 2, Brock Turner quickly and silently exited the Santa Clara County Jail. It took him less than half a minute to duck into a waiting car amid a throng of media and protesters.

Reportedly, following his first taste of freedom in three short months, Brock Turner spent his first post-release night at a local hotel before returning to his parent’s Ohio home, where he will reportedly be living now that he’s a free man.

Brock Turner’s homecoming was far from peaceful, though. Even though he technically served his time, the public is largely outraged over his short jail sentence and have vowed to make his post-jail existence as difficult as possible. Throngs of armed protesters gathered outside of the Turner home in Ohio, many of them holding signs that shared their opinion of Brock Turner’s sentence and early release with the world, reports the New York Post.

“If I rape Brock will I only do 3 months?”

The situation got so bad outside the home that Brock Turner’s mother reportedly called local police for assistance in protecting her convicted sex offender son. Reportedly, police are beefing up security around the home and monitoring social media for death threats. It has also been reported that Brock Turner’s mother made a second call to police, but no protesters have been arrested.

The media has also been hounding Brock Turner since his release from jail. As the Daily Mail reports, they snapped some photos of the newly-released former Stanford student as he tries to live his post-jail life in peace and harmony. The pictures were reportedly taken as Brock strolled through his parents’ backyard. Just a few short yards away, armed protesters flanked his parents’ property.

Even though Brock Turner has been released from jail, his sentence for being a convicted sex offender is actually far from over. In addition to the public backlash that his early release from jail has caused, Brock Turner was also sentenced to serve three years of probation as well as to register as a sex offender, something that will likely follow him for the rest of his life.

As CBS News reports, as a Tier III sex offender, Brock Turner will have to register as a sex offender with his local sheriff’s department (no matter where he lives) every 90 days for the rest of his life. Because he’s currently living at his parent’s Ohio home (and expected to live there for the duration of his three-year probation), his first sex offender registration will take place at the Greene County Sheriff’s office, and local Sheriff Greene Gene Fischer has publicly vowed not to give Brock Turner any special treatment.

“We’re not treating him with kid gloves. We’re going to treat him like every other sex offender that comes through the doors.”

Brock Turner has only five days from the date of his release to register with the county as a sex offender. After that, the sheriff’s office will send out notifications to all of his neighbors letting them know that they have a registered sex offender in the neighborhood. Brock’s name, photo, and a description of his crimes will also be available on the Ohio state sex offender registry.

While he’s on probation, Brock Turner will also have to complete a sex offender treatment program.

When Brock Turner sexually assaulted an unconscious woman back in January of 2015, he was a promising young college student at one of the premiere universities in the United States, Stanford. He was a star on the school’s swim team and even reportedly had Olympic aspirations. Following his conviction, he was banned by USA Swimming for the rest of his life, reports CNN.

Because the three charges Brock Turner was convicted of — assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated or unconscious person, sexual penetration of an intoxicated person and sexual penetration of an unconscious person — were sex crimes and felonies, it is likely that he will find it difficult to find gainful employment or continue his higher education.

The public is overwhelmingly furious at the way the criminal justice system handled the Brock Turner case, and in many ways, the court of public opinion can be more damaging and damning than the legal system. Case in point: Casey Anthony. She was actually acquitted of the murder of her daughter Caylee, but the public hasn’t forgiven or forgotten what many believe to have been a miscarriage of justice. Even now, five years after the fact, Casey Anthony can’t go out in public without being harassed and reportedly lives a life of solitude, largely in hiding.

Just a few weeks ago, Anthony was reportedly harassed and verbally assaulted at a Florida bowling alley for doing nothing more than showing her face.

If the current reaction to Brock Turner’s freedom is any indication, it’s unlikely that the convicted sex offender’s life will be pleasant at any time in the near future.

[Image via Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department]

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