Bill Cosby was convicted of three felony counts of indecent assault against Andrea Constand in a retrial this past Thursday. Each count holds the potential of 10 years of jail time. With the judge’s allowance of more witnesses to testify against Cosby, the prosecution was able to grant justice for Constand after 14 years. More than 60 women have come forward with sexual assault allegations against him.
Alexandra Nicoletti, president of the SLU Advocates Program, believes that this case was not only important for the #MeToo movement but for feminism in general. Nicoletti thinks that this case was important for showing people that sexual assault is everywhere, and it’s not just “horrible” people assaulting others like in movies. “It gives a chance for people to see that it could be the person next door; it could be someone who you find to be really great and a role model,” she says.
Valerie Lehr, a gender studies professor at St. Lawrence, believes that the Cosby situation is more impactful because there was an actual case that brought him to justice. Lehr is unsure of whether this change in Hollywood can be sustained, but she is optimistic. “We need to send a message that as a society, we care about this stuff,” she says.
It is also important to note the legal aspects of this case. Cosby’s conviction occurred in a retrial of Andrea Constand’s case against him after the case resulted in a hung jury, which led to a mistrial. According to Cathy Crosby, who holds a law degree and is chair of the Psychology Department, in a criminal case, the jury has to be unanimous. “Once there’s a mistrial,” Dr. Crosby says, “the prosecuting attorney has to decide if they are going to retry the case.”
The main difference between the two trials was the admissibility of witnesses and evidence. In the first trial, the judge only allowed Constand’s testimony in as evidence, but in the second trial, three more witnesses testified that Cosby had assaulted them as well, establishing a pattern of deviant behavior.
Interestingly, the jury that convicted Cosby was mostly men, which both surprised and pleased Lehr. “This is a verdict that is growing out of social activism,” she says. Dr. Crosby agrees that this an interesting fact, but she says, “You can’t necessarily assume that women are more likely to convict than men.” Crosby pointed out that the men on the jury may have wanted to separate themselves from Cosby, as if to say, “He doesn’t speak for our gender with his behavior.”
From these feminist movements, Lehr says that “women are being mobilized in a new way.” Nicoletti claims that Cosby’s conviction is “finally a chance for survivors to feel validated” and “this is a big step towards ending victim-blaming.” As she puts it, “it’s about time.”