How Should a Rapist be Convicted?

Rape is one of the most unlawful crimes in U.S. The punishment for rape depends on where it took place (which state), the age, and whether or not it was statutory. What I believe is unfair, is that many people who are convicted as rapist end up serving a few years, or a year at the least, to a crime that will haunt the victim attacked for the rest of their life. When these convicts are let free, many continue raping others, because they have not learned anything from their short stay in jail.

In California, the age of rape for, “Any person 21 years of age or older who engages in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who is under 16 years of age is guilty of either a misdemeanor or a felony.” And the punishment for this terrible crime is only, “Up to one year in a county jail or by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years.” I think that the punishment is completely unjust. If someone commits an act of rape, no matter how old either person is, the time in jail for the rapist should be at least 20 years or more. If the rapist was to be let free after even ten years, I would not be surprised if the rapist committed another offense, because he would have clearly not learned anything from his short stay in jail. And secondly, many victims of rape are and will always be in a state of trauma and fear from their attacker. If the victim knows that her rapist is loose in the streets, it will only cause more stress and panic to the victim who fears that on any given day her attacker could once again harm her. If the rapist is released after one year in jail, I am certain he has not learned his lesson, and will commit another crime.

In Michigan, the crime for, “First-degree criminal sexual conduct is sexual penetration with someone under age 13,” is the penalty of life in prison. For this, I certainly do agree with the law. However, in Minnesota, this same crime has the sentence of only 30 years in prison. It seems entirely unlawful that you can be in one state and be raped in the first degree, and have your rapist be imprisoned for 30 years, while if you were in a state similar to Michigan‘s laws, your rapists would be in prison for their entire life.

I believe that each state should be ruled by a punishment that fits the crime, and not one that varies in each state. The crime of rape is one of the most serious crimes, and it should not be viewed as a minor penalty.

Buying Your Way Into College; Ethical vs. Legal

In American society anyone, with a sufficient amount of money, is able to literally buy their way into college. However, since there is nothing significantly illegal about this, people are being accepted into colleges not based on their academic grades, ACT or SAT score, rather than , by what the student can offer to the college. They do this by mainly focusing on how much money it will cost to cover all the fees. In addition, of the 150 top colleges, 3 percent of those students come from a low-income family. So, there are very poor students at America’s top colleges, and a large and growing number of rich students. Even more so, there are a sufficient number of high school students who strive at academic excellence, including honor roll students, who will not be accepted in the college of their choice. This is of course not because of their grades, but because a student who has more money will be able to pay much earlier than others. Even if the honor roll student has applied early, the student paying the college for vast amount of money, like a donation, will be accepted, and that acceptance may have been the last, meaning the honor roll student will not be accepted because he did what was morally and academically correct.
Many Ivy League colleges begin at around $45,000. I would not be surprised if many students did not apply to these school primarily because they know they will never be able to pay for the tuition, or for the matter that they know there are others who have a higher chance at being accepted because they have much more money. At Harvard, it’s not too shocking to learn that 90% of the students come from families earning more than the median national income of $55,000. These students have families who earn between $110,000 and $200,000. These wealthier students will never have a problem flying home, or even taking breaks to Hawaii. While, the average student works most of their early life barely making enough money to cover insurances and student loans.
The issue of whether paying your way into college is ethical or not, should not be viewed as whether it is legal, rather, it should be clear as to how immoral this has become. These students who have their wealthy parents pay for college, are constantly making it a struggle for those lower-class students who have been preparing for college their whole life. There is not too much that can be done to stop this corruption in society. One can only hope that he/she has applied early enough to the colleges of their choice, in hope that they will not be rejected primarily because someone wealthier and possibly not as academically knowledgeable has taken their spot in the acceptance line up.