Stanford sex assault perpetrator likely to be released early

Brock Turner, the Stanford University athlete convicted of sexual assault on an unconscious woman, may be in the public eye longer than he is behind bars. After receiving a six-month sentence in county jail, he will likely get out in half the time.

After being sentenced to six months in Santa Clara County Jail, Brock Turner may have caught another lucky break. Inmate records obtained by the Associated Press found that the 20-year-old is expected to be released by September 2 – three months early.

County inmates only serve half of their time, provided that they maintain a clean disciplinary record.

Turner was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault after he was caught sexually assaulting an unconscious and disrobed 23-year-old woman behind a dumpster in January 2015. Despite the prosecution request for a six-year sentence, he was sentenced to six months and three years of probation.

Meanwhile, former Vanderbilt football player Cory Batey was also found guilty of three counts of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman at Vanderbilt University. Batey, a black man, received a mandatory 15 to 25 year sentence.

While outrage over the light sentencing Turner received has overrun the internet, the judge who sentenced him has also experienced fallout. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky is the subject of a Change.org petition to remove him from the bench. The petition has over 950,000 signatures.

Amid the potential judicial impeachment Persky faces, he is being forced, in other cases, to confront his decision to spare Turner a harsher punishment. At least 10 potential jurors refused to serve on a jury for an unrelated case he was handling. One prospective jury member told Judge Persky, "I can't believe what you did,” according to the Daily Mail.

Prior to his conviction, Turner was a celebrated college swimmer. However, USA Swimming has deemed him ineligible for life.