Newsday published:

"I believes he needs to experience appropriate consequences in order to recognize the brutality of his actions and possibly prevent a similar incident in the future," she said.

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UConn Student Denied Probation in Dorm Room Incident Responded to by Maria Brandt

Dear Newsday,

Your Associated Press article "UConn Student Denied Probation in Dorm Room Incident" caught my attention for two reasons. First, without disclosing her identity, you made room for the victim's voice. Indeed, the quotation you included not only offers readers a clearer understanding of what's at stake in the case, but also presents the victim as an articulate and psychologically complex human being, something so rare in media coverage of sex-crime victims.

Second, by offering some context for why the suspects could not be charged with sexual assault--and revealing that the grey areas of this case have led to an investigation of current definitions of sexual assault--this article shows readers on one hand how current laws still favor sex-crime perpetrators, but on the other hand how public discussion of this problem may lead to a more just legal system.

Thank you for keeping me and other readers so well informed.

Sincerely,
Maria Brandt