Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein was partially punished for his sex crimes, but the New York supreme court did not serve justice fully.
Weinstein was found guilty on a first-degree criminal sex act for forced oral sex on former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and a third-degree rape account for the sexual assault of actress
Jessica Mann in 2013.
According to The Washington Post, Weinstein could face 5-25 years in prison for the criminal sex act and up to an additional four years for rape – a sentence that could run up to a total of 29 years if the judge decides to hold the sentences consecutively.
In what world does four years for committing a rape sound reasonable?
According to the New York Penal Code, first-degree rape is when someone is forced into sexual intercourse by force, second-degree rape is when someone is forced into sexual intercourse and the victim is incapable of consent and third-degree rape is sexual intercourse with no consent, but is witheld for some other reason that is then incapacity to consent.
The acts Weinstein performed were atrocious and he deserves to go to prison for the things he did for far longer than he is expected to be sentenced.
Women carry the emotional burden of sexual assault forever.
Weinstein’s case encouraged the public to revisit the #MeToo movement.
Celebrities spread awareness about the movement, with multiple women in the entertainment industry voicing their concerns about the allegations and going as far as mentioning the movement in acceptance speeches at awards shows.
Dozens of women broke their silence to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct, according to a 2018 article from
The New York Times.
Actress Annabella Sciorra accused Weinstein of rape, but he could not be put on trial for the act and could only be taken to court for sexual predatory assault because of New York’s statute of limitations, according to the Times.
Statutes of limitations are laws which say how long after certain events a case may be persecuted based on those events according to the New York State Unified
Court System.
In the state of
New York, the statute of limitations on rape is 20 years for second-degree, 10 years for third-degree. There is no statute of limitation for first-degree rape as of 2018, according to HuffPost.
As reported by the Times, Sciorra testified in January that she did not consent to sex and that when he made sexual advancements, “My body shut down.”
He was ultimately acquitted of the charges brought forth by Sciorra, partially because one of her friends testified against her and said Sciorra described the incident as a “crazy thing” she had done with Weinstein and not as a rape, according to the same Times article.
The justice system failed Sciorra because the statute of limitations was up and Weinstein’s guilt could not be proved.
Despite the fact that the law has failed dozens of other women who reported horrible experiences with Weinstein, it is great to see a punch finally land on him, even though that punch should have been stronger than it was.
Actress Jessica Mann brought charges against Weinstein for first-degree rape, but was forced to settle for third-degree rape charges because the jury did not believe that he used force.
The whole idea is horrendous.
There should not be differing degrees of rape.
Rape is rape.
Although justice was partially served because Weinstein was convicted of third-degree rape, Mann had to sell her story and experience short.
The crimes committed against her deserve full equity.
Additionally, his former producer Miriam Haley was forced into having oral sex with him, only to have the experience defined as a first-degree criminal sexual act instead of rape, despite the fact that she had given absolutely no consent, according to
the Times.
The definition of rape itself, according to the United States Department of Justice is, “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”
In all definitions of the law, even oral penetration is rape and it should be treated as such.
Weinstein’s disgusting actions are an example of a situation sadly seen too often in our society.
Countless other men have got off the hook, such as former Stanford University student Brock Turner.
Turner is not as high profile as Weinstein.
He was sentenced to serve only six months at the Santa Clara County jail, but only served three months for raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster, according to CNN.
In cases as notorious as Weinstein or as localized as Turner’s, our laws should crack down on rape and other various sex crimes because these acts cause severe psychological and physical trauma.
