Slim Majority Think Ravi Sentence is “Too Lenient,” Poll Shows

A new poll finds a narrow majority of New Jersey residents believe a former Rutgers student who used a webcam to spy on his gay roommate got a lenient sentence.

Dharun Ravi was sentenced last month to 30 days in jail, community service and three years' probation, and ordered to pay $10,000 toward a program to help victims of hate crimes.

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released Thursday found 51 percent of respondents said Ravi's sentence for bias intimidation and invasion of privacy in the Tyler Clementi case was "not tough enough."

Thirty-nine percent think Ravi got "the sentence he deserve."

Seven percent believe it was "too tough."

The poll question did not mention the $10,000 payment. It surveyed 1,191 adults from May 31-June 4, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

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