Brock Turner, the former Stanford student convicted of sexual assault, is reportedly being given special protection in jail. Turner was sentenced to six months in county jail for the rape of an unconscious woman on Stanford's campus in 2015.
According toTMZ Sports, 20-year-old Turner is currently in protective custody at the Santa Clara County Jail. This means he’s being kept separate from inmates out of fear for Turner's safety.
A representative for the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office confirmed Turner's protective custody to TMZ Sports. The rep toldTMZ Sports that Turner has been separated from the general inmate population and that he will be escorted by a deputy when he does move in the county jail.
Turner will come into contact with fellow inmates that are in "protective custody." Those inmates include people like himself who have been convicted of sexual assault, as well as gang dropouts and LGBT inmates.
Though Turner's case has become a source of controversy since his conviction, TMZ Sports was told Turner has been given protective custody because inmates convicted of sexual assault are typically targeted.
Turner was convicted on three charges of felony sexual assault for raping a 23-year-old woman behind a dumpster outside of a campus frat house. Turner, who faced up to 14 years in prison, was given six months in jail by Judge Aaron Persky. Persky's ruling has been criticized and a petition with over 700,000 signatures has called for the Persky to be removed from his position.
Turner's father called Turner's punishment a "steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life."
Earlier today it was revealed that in a letter to Judge Aaron Persky, Turner blamed the sexual assault on alcohol and "party culture."
