The story behind the outrage: Why a school bus driver got no jail time for raping 14-year-old girl

Charges and sentencing guidelines for sex crimes vary widely, and with no comprehensive data tracking for sentencing nationwide, it's hard to say what would amount to a "typical sentence" in a sex assault case, said Jennifer Long, the chief executive officer of AEquitas. The non-profit group supports prosecutors in seeking justice in gender-based violence and human trafficking cases.

Long couldn't speak to the particulars of the case against Piche, but said, "I'm not surprised that people are outraged by a sentence that doesn't seem to match the seriousness of a crime like that against a victim."

Long said sexual assault is one of the most serious charges that can be levied against a defendant, especially when the victim is young. Judges take a wide variety of legitimate factors into consideration during sentencing, Long said, including the circumstances of the crime, the impact on the victim, whether the defendant has any prior criminal history, whether the defendant has taken responsibility, and the impact on the community. Long cautioned against factors she said judges sometimes weigh but shouldn't — including any elements of blaming the victim.

She also expressed concern about minimizing an assault where a victim is unable to consent because of their age or some other reason, simply because it didn't involve force.

"Particularly when the victim is young, [rape] can have many serious impacts," Long said. She added, "These laws are passed precisely because individuals at that age don't have the capacity to form the judgments that allow them to give true consent like an adult would."