Chris Brown Pleads Guilty
On June 22, Chris Brown pled guilty to felony charges for assaulting his then-girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. Brown’s punishment is five years of supervised probation and six months of community service. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg issued a stay-away order, prohibiting Brown from coming within 50 yards of Rihanna and vice versa, and requiring the two to stay ten yards apart at industry events.
“The plea deal reached today in Los Angeles in the domestic violence case involving Chris Brown and Rihanna is not an unusual outcome in a case like this,” said Family Violence Prevention Fund President Esta Soler. “Despite what was apparently an extremely violent assault, it was a first offense. We are glad the charge remained a felony, and that Mr. Brown pleaded guilty, taking responsibility for his actions.” If convicted, Brown could have faced up to five years in prison.
“Time will tell whether justice was served, and that will depend in large part on whether Mr. Brown is truly repentant and takes seriously the interventions that will now be available to help him renounce violence going forward,” Soler continued. “This case is a chilling reminder of how dangerous domestic and dating violence can be, how quickly it can escalate, how badly youth like Mr. Brown who grow up in violent homes need intervention, and how urgently victims need services,” she continued.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 1,200 deaths and two million injuries to women from intimate partner violence each year and on average, three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends each day in this country. 15.5 million U.S. children live in families in which partner violence occurred at least once in the past year, and seven million children live in families in which severe partner violence occurred.
