On March 11, 2020, former film producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to twenty-three years in prison on one count of rape and one count of a criminal sexual act, nearly three years after the first allegations surfaced against him. His conviction came after a harrowing trial, in which six women testified against him and the jury deliberated intensely for five days. Weinstein was accused of attacks that happened from the early 1990s to 2013, and while his defense attorneys attempted to convince the jury that these acts had been consensual, the result was far from their goal of a five-year sentence for Weinstein.
The only two cases recent enough to prosecute were those of Jessica Mann and Miriam Haley, an ex-actress and a former production assistant, respectively. He was only convicted of two charges out of the five that had been filed against him. He was acquitted of the most serious charges, first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault, which could have put him behind bars for life. Regardless, Weinstein’s defense attorneys remarked that anything longer than five years would constitute a life sentence, referring to his advanced age and physical ailments.
The verdict was praised by Weinstein’s accusers, many of whom cried tears of relief after the trial. Ashley Judd, an actress and accuser, commented, “For the women who testified in this case, and walked through traumatic hell, you did a public service to girls and women everywhere, thank you.” The Manhattan District Attorney called Weinstein a “vicious serial sexual predator who used his power to threaten, rape, assault, trick, humiliate and silence his victims.” He went on to add, “To the survivors of Harvey Weinstein, I owe, and we all owe, an immense debt to you.” The brave women who testified at this trial, came forward to talk about the abuse, or helped to prosecute the case, took a sexual predator off the streets for the sake of vulnerable people near him and possibly other victims who did not feel safe coming forward publicly.
Weinstein was a successful film producer and has been accused of promising to further the careers of dozens of women in the industry in exchange for sexual favors, forcing himself on several women, including actresses and production assistants who worked for him. Exploitation of power in the entertainment industry has been an issue brought to light in recent years by the #MeToo movement, in which survivors of sexual assault have spoken up about abuse they have suffered and stand in solidarity with one another. Hopefully, Weinstein’s conviction will encourage and empower more victims of sexual assault to speak up, bring their attackers to justice, and regain their freedom and dignity.