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A sentence has been reached in regards to the highly publicized case of Dharun Ravi, as it continues to garner mixed reactions from the public.
Ravi was found guilty of 15 criminal counts “including invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, and obstructing justice after police began investigating.” This comes after he was found “spying” on his Rutgers roommate Tyler Clementi during his encounter with another man in their shared dorm. Ravi was said to have used a webcam to do so, as he later invited others to watch with him.
Judge Glenn Berman decided on a sentence that involves 30 days in jail, 300 hours of community service, and $10,000 in restitution to be paid “to assist bias-crime victims.” Although, his sentence could have been as severe as “10 years in prison and even deportation to his native India”, Berman maintained that Ravi’s actions, although shameful and blamesworthy, did not involve violence. Berman further added, “I do not believe [the legislature] envisioned this type of behavior when it passed the anti-bias statute at the heart of the case.”
In addition to the abovementioned orders, Berman recommended “counseling on alternative lifestyles and on cyberbullying” for Ravi.
On the other hand, others argue that the punishment was not commensurate with the crime. Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality stated, “This was not merely a childhood prank gone awry. This was not a crime without bias.”
Ravi is set to turn himself at the Middlesex County Jail in New Brunswick, NJ, this Thursday, May 31 to begin serving his 30-day sentence. In an issued statement, he expressed that this is the “only way he can go on with his life”, as he assumed responsibility and apologized for his “insensitive and immature choices.”
