The former Rutgers student convicted of spying on his gay college roommate was sentenced to 30 days in prison today, the Chicago Tribute is reporting. Dharun Ravi faced a maximum of 10 years in prison for using a webcam to invade the privacy of his roommate, Tyler Clemeti, and an older man in their dorm room.
Just days after learning that Ravi spied on him in September 2010 with a webcame, Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge. While Ravi encouraged others to watch Clementi on social media sites, he wasn’t charged with causing his roommate’s death.
Of the light sentence, Judge Glenn Berman said he never referred to Ravi’s action as a hate crime. He instead viewed it as a bias crime. The judge added that he didn’t think Ravi hated his roommate, but did act out of insensitivity.
After finishing his prison sentence, Ravi will have three years probation. He will also have to complete 300 hours of community service as well as counseling about cyberbullying and alternative lifestyles.
Berman said the prison time was partially a punishment for Ravi trying to get others to watch a second planned attempt to use the webcam, which is a bias crime. He also tampered with evidence by destroying text messages. The prosecution plans on appealing the sentence, which will begin on May 31 if it stays in place.
Written by: Karen Benardello
