My Inside Look at How the Justice System is Failing Sexual Assault Survivors

By Robert Taylor — BROOD

Please note, this article contains discussions and details about a real life sexual assault case.

“The people rest your honor.”

And just like that the air in the room vanished and my stomach sank like an anchor, pulling my entire body into the crevice of the juror number two seat. Escaping with every disappointed sigh was the last bit of faith that I had in the criminal justice system. Despite the bachelor’s degree I have in Criminology, I wasn’t prepared to face the reality of the criminal justice system. The illusion of a fair system pales in comparison to the game we play with people’s lives. No amount of Law and Order SVU episodes can prepare you for the moment where the judge tells a group of strangers with no expertise in law to decide the fate of someone’s entire life; a life you knew was guilty but could never prove he was.

“So…anyone up for a massage after this?” Juror number five awkwardly joked. The other jurors chuckled at the reference to one of the obscene details in the sexual assault case. Shocked, I sat frozen. Looking back on this moment, I wish I had said something. But how much effect can one have on a stranger? Maybe that didn’t matter.