Former Rutger’s student Dharun Ravi is headed to jail, but he won’t be behind bars for long. Ravi was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years probation on Monday for using a webcam to spy on his roommate Tyler Clementi.
Ravi was convicted in March of invasion of privacy and bias intimidation, and a New Jersey State Superior Court judge told him to report to jail on May 31st to start his month behind bars.
Prosecutors convinced a jury that Ravi spied repeatedly on his roommate and in September shared streaming video of Clementi having sex with another man. A few days later, Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washinton Bridge in New York City.
While Ravi was not convicted of Clementi’s death, he was found guilty on all 15 counts lodged againist him. including hindering apprehension and tampering with evidence. In addition to 30 days in jail and three years probation, the judge said Ravi must complete 300 hours of community service. He is also required to get counseling on cyberbullying and alternative lifestyles. The 20-year-old will also have to pay a $10,000 probation fee which will be earmarked to help victims of biased crimes.
Although Ravi got a light sentence compared to the maximum 10 years in prison that he could be serving, the judge delivered some harsh words to the young man.
“You lied to your roommate who placed his trust in you without any conditions, and you violated it. I haven’t heard you apologize once,” Judge Glenn Berman said while handing down the sentence. “Down the road, you can expunge this judgment. You cannot expunge the conduct or the pain you caused.”
While both sides seemed to agree that Ravi didn’t deserve 10 years in prison for his actions, the prosecution believes he should have received at least some prison time for his role in Clementi’s death. Both sides say they plan to appeal the judge’s sentence.
