Rapist to Serve 250 Hours of Community Service at Rape Crisis Center - Judge 'Reconsiders' Sentence
A judge in Dallas, Texas is rethinking the sentence given to 20-year-old Sir Young, who was convicted of raping a 14-year-old in 2011. The judge initially sentenced Young to 250 hours of community service at a local rape crisis center, but due to public shock, is now rethinking that plan.
"I'm sure she [the judge] probably thought that it was his way of giving back perhaps. But it's just not an appropriate place for him to do his community supervision," Bobbie Villareal, executive director of the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center told WFAA.com. "There's just so many problems with that. First of all, we would worry about our client safety and well-being, the appropriateness of them having any kind of contact with survivors – even if it was a past victimization. Just having a criminal defendant in the office could be a triggering effect for many of our clients."
Young pleaded guilty to raping the 14-year-old girl at Booker T. Washington High School in 2011, where they were both students. He was 18 at the time and initially told police that the girl said "no" at first but then did not tell him to stop. Young later admitted that she told him to stop numerous times.
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"That's rape. I hate to have that on my plate, but that's rape," Young told police detective Denise Rodriguez.
Young had been sentenced to five years' deferred adjudication probation, with the condition that he fulfill the community service. He could have been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Instead, he will be on probation for five years and serve 45 days in jail as well as two days in jail every October 4, the anniversary date of the rape.
"It is a deterrent to all survivors when you see a very lenient sentence like this passed down," Villareal said. "It sends a devastating message to survivors of sexual assault. That victim's family definitely didn't feel like there was justice for her and for other survivors of sexual assault."
