The College Fix

Dharun Ravi was sentenced yesterday for his role in the events that led to the suicide of Tyler Clementi, his college roommate. Ravi humiliated Clementi by secretly watching him engage in amorous contact with another man, and Clementi later killed himself. According to The Huffington Post:

Dharun Ravi was sentenced to 30 days in jail as part of a probationary sentence today for spying on his college roommate with a webcam and writing about what he saw on Twitter. …

Berman ordered Ravi to receive three years of probation, perform 300 hours of community service, undergo counseling and pay a $10,000 fine that will go to an organization providing assistance to victims of bias crimes.

Since Ravi was convicted of bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, hindering apprehension, and witness tampering, some would consider this an overly lenient sentence. Indeed, he could have received 10 years in prison:

New Jersey Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman could have given the ex-Rutgers University student up to 10 years for the most serious charges related to the cyber-bullying of his gay roommate Tyler Clementi in September 2010. He was ordered to report to Middlesex County Jail on May 31.

Ultimately, Judge Berman’s decision was a wise one. Ravi was cruel and callous, but no killer. Though Clementi’s death was a horrible tragedy, and Ravi’s conduct abominable throughout, any significant jail time would have meant that Ravi was being punished for a murder that he did not commit. His actions, awful as they may be, do not merit deportation or 10 years of imprisonment. For a bully like Ravi, a brief stint in prison, community service, and a sizable fine is just punishment. And he has already faced an even more substantial punishment–nationwide condemnation and hatred.

Still, it’s a dreadful shame that the events transpired at all–and that both students’ lives were utterly ruined by such immaturity and misunderstanding.

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