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Kaitlyn McCoy

Professor Cassel

English 1201

August 28, 2021

This I Believe

I believe that society and the court system are enablers of sexual violence. I believe this

to be true from the way society will victim blame, and court systems will downplay punishments

for these heinous crimes. I see social media platforms pushing a message to change behaviors to

reduce the chances of getting assaulted instead of pushing a message to change behaviors of

predators. I see court decisions slapping victims in the face with offenders getting off on

probation and no jail time. I see male victims going unheard because of shame instilled in men

showing weakness. This I believe, society and the court system have let victims down.

Of course, in choosing to make this my statement, I have some very personal experience

on the matter. About six years ago, my sister went to a party and was assaulted. Afterwards, she

did everything the law says you should do to get justice and stop him from reoffending. She told

the police right away, she gave them all available evidence, and even took a rape kit. This was a

very hard thing to go through, but she knew what had to be done for her trauma to be recognized.

When the trial rolled in, the judge thankfully found him guilty and moved on to sentencing. This

is where the courts fell short. Due to believing “hands went a little too far”, the judge sentenced

him to no jail time and only probation while attending court ordered therapy for just a few short

months. To make matters worse, news media outlets were covering the case and posting their

articles throughout multiple social media platforms. This gave society a chance to exercise
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freedom of speech to slander her and her decisions that night. Even the school system failed by

allowing him to return to school and put her in the position of seeing her rapist every day in the

halls.

Within a year, I was assaulted as well. I was instantly reminded of how much my sister

had to put up with to receive minimal justice, and I made my decision to never officially tell my

story. I believe it is extremely hard to go through sexual assault, but even more difficult to get

justice afterwards due to a society and system working against victims. This view has shaped the

way I view people, places, and objects. I view strangers as predators until proven otherwise

because I see known predators walking free and continuing their lives. I view parties, bars, and

colleges as breeding grounds for assault because society says getting too drunk is dangerous

instead of the perpetrators being dangerous. I view drugs and alcoholic beverages as enemies

because the court would have a hard time believing me if I could not remember. I will forever

have a new perspective on life after going through these events.

This I believe, society and the court system are enablers of sexual violence. I believe

victims are shamed more than helped. I believe, in the eyes of the law, it is innocent until proven

guilty. Although I also believe, in the eyes of society, many sex offenders are innocent even after

proven guilty. I believe society will not ask a burglary victim why the house did not have enough

security, but society will ask me why I was not sober enough. I believe male victims are

everywhere suffering in silence. I believe potential victims over potential predators.