Ravi Sentence – My Reaction – He Caught a Break! [POLL]

Watching the sentencing portion of the trial for 3 hours today, I thought for sure Dharun Ravi would be sentenced to something more than 30 days in county jail plus probation and a fine.

My first reaction: “This kid caught a break!!”

However, in the words of Judge Berman, who pronounced sentence on Ravi, justice depended on which side of the camera you were sitting on!

Interesting!

I didn’t think, and don’t think anything would have been learned by his being sentenced to a term in state prison. I disagreed with the prosecutor’s assessment that deterrence needed to be considered in sentencing.

Would someone else ever be deterred from committing such a crime considering the risk associated with it?

However, I was surprised that Judge Berman, in considering his sentence, took into account Ravi’s lack of remorse toward M.B.

I thought for sure that would have merited Ravi more significant jail time; and judging by the Judge’s seeming annoyance at Ravi’s disingenuous apologies, thought for sure he was sending him away...for more time than he did!

Regardless, and this will be the topic of discussion for some time to come, do the bias crimes statutes need to be revisited in the wake of the outcome of the trial?

While I don’t think we can overlook the fact that Dharun Ravi did what he did because he saw his roommate as “different”…whether or not it rose to the level of “hate crime” in the manner of what we’ve been conditioned to understand a hate crime to be, was, in my opinion, and if I can infer by the judge’s decision…a reach.

Thirty days in county jail…probation for 3 years…10 thousand dollar fine…a fair sentence.

But will never mitigate the loss the Clementi family feels, or the closure they’re due.

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