California is one step closer to a mandatory sentence for sexual assault, and this is what you need to know
We have a lawmaking update: California is even closer to a mandatory sentence for sexual assault. It’s definitely taken a while, but California is much closer to its desired end result on sexual assault cases.
The California Sexual Assault Bill is almost a reality, thanks to its latest step. And the lawmakers are very pleased with the news.
On Monday, the bill — Assembly Bill 2888 — officially passed in a unanimous bipartisan vote. The bill took big strides this week. But not everyone agrees with the proposed idea. After Brock Turner’s infamous sexual assault case — and very lenient sentence — the state created this bill to change the outcome of similar future cases.
The bill enforces mandatory minimum prison sentences for rape and sexual assault cases where the victim was intoxicated or unconscious.
Assemblyman Evan Low, Bill Dodd and state Senator Jerry Hill carried the bill. Jeff Rosen, who is a Santa Clarita District Attorney, wrote it. The entire initiative was inspired by the Turner case at Stanford University.
“It gave all of us the inspiration to make sure the next Brock Turner either leaves the next Emily Doe alone, or the next Brock Turner goes to prison,” Rosen said in a statement via Cosmopolitan.
Although it is great news that the bill has been pushed through, it’s not over just yet.
There is still a good chance that another vote is coming. It will determine if the bill gets rejected or approved once again. In fact, ACLU of California’s director of the group’s Center for Advocacy, Natasha Minsker, says that their group will lobby for Governor Jerry Brown to reject it.
“The well-intentioned mandatory minimum sentence this bill creates will have negative impacts on communities of color and other unintended consequences,” she said, according to Cosmopolitan.
While the fight is far from over, both sides are sticking to their guns and going ahead with their plans.
