It's just a typo for goodness sake.
In more important news,
what do you think of the 30-day sentence on the Rutgers student convicted of the hate crime? Not surprisingly, the prosecutors weren't happy, but the judge defended the sentence:
No matter how “unconscionable” Mr. Ravi’s conduct, Judge Glenn Berman
said in a court hearing Wednesday, “I can’t find it in me to remand him
to state prison that houses people convicted of offenses such as murder,
armed robbery and rape. I don’t believe that that fits this case. I
believe that he has to be punished, and he will be.”
***
On Wednesday, the lead prosecutor elaborated on that, telling Judge
Berman that she thought a five-year sentence would have been
appropriate. The statutes governing bias crimes recommend 5 to 10 years
in prison, but the presumption is of a seven-year sentence, and the law
allows judges to depart from those guidelines if there are mitigating
factors or if they believe a heavier sentence would be an injustice.
***
While last week the judge reserved his harshest words for Mr. Ravi, on
Wednesday he engaged in a tense exchange with Julia McClure, the first
assistant prosecutor for Middlesex County, saying he would not comment
on her appeal, but accusing her of “smirking” as he explained his
reasoning for the sentencing. Ms. McClure argued there were no
mitigating factors against a harsher sentence for Mr. Ravi; the judge
said if that were the case, then she should be recommending the standard
seven years, not five.
In reaching his sentence, the judge said he started with the agreement
the prosecution had made with Molly Wei, who had viewed the webcam with
Mr. Ravi the first night he spied on Mr. Clementi and his boyfriend. Ms.
Wei was spared prosecution in an agreement to testify against Mr. Ravi,
agreeing to three years’ probation and 300 hours of community service.
Believing that “consistency breeds fairness,” the judge said he gave Mr.
Ravi community service and probation. “It wasn’t my deal; it was the
state’s,” he said.
But because Mr. Ravi’s “involvement was more extensive,” he said, he had
added to the sentence, ordering Mr. Ravi to undergo counseling in
“alternate lifestyles.” That phrase had angered gay rights advocates who
believe it is derogatory; the judge said he took the language from the
plea bargains the prosecution offered Mr. Ravi before he went to trial.
In addition, the judge said, because Mr. Ravi had been convicted of
tampering with a witness (trying to get Ms. Wei to lie to the police)
and with evidence (trying to cover up his Twitter and text messages) he
sentenced him to 30 days in jail. Under state statute, Mr. Ravi could
serve as little as 20 days, if he earns work credits and rewards for
good behavior in jail.
The judge said he had relied on the statute’s recommendation in imposing
the fine, and set it at an amount he considered “affordable, impactful
and proportionate.”
Over all, Judge Berman said the sentence “was fair, it was appropriate, and most of all, it was consistent.”
He argued that the legislature intended prison terms to be attached to
bias crimes that were “assaultive or violent in nature,” not invasion of
privacy.
“I also know his age,” Judge Berman added, calling it a mitigating factor.
“I believe justice compels me to deviate from the guidelines,” he said.