The Democratic governor announced his approval yesterday of laws requiring longer sentences to be served in state prison for defendants convicted of assaulting unconscious victims, ending the possibility of brief jail sentences like the one Brock Turner received in June.
Turner faced a minimum sentence of two years in state prison, and prosecutors argued for six years, but Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky cited the "extraordinary circumstances" of Turner's youth and clean criminal record in imposing the shorter county jail term.
"Judge Persky's ruling was unjustifiable and morally wrong, however, under current state law it was within his discretion. While we can't go back and change what happened, we have made sure it never happens again," Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, said in a statement. "If you do the crime, you're going to do the time."
Turner's case burst into the spotlight after a poignant statement from the victim swept through social media. Politicians and law enforcement officials have lined up alongside sexual assault survivors to criticise Turner's sentence, back a recall effort against the judge and urge Brown to sign the tougher sentencing legislation.
Brown said in a signing message that he usually opposes adding more mandatory minimum sentences. But he said he signed the sentencing bill "because I believe it brings a measure of parity to sentencing for criminal acts that are substantially similar."
Outside jail after Turner's release, county Sheriff Laurie Smith said she believed his sentence was too light and urged Brown to sign the bill.