Prosecutor Files Appeal In Dharun Ravi Sentencing

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a notice of appeal in the sentencing of Dharun Ravi.

The former Rutgers student was sentenced to a 30-day jail term on Monday that was scheduled to begin today at 9AM according to the Star Ledger. The appeal filed by Middlesex County First Assistant Prosecutor Julia McClure delays the start by at least 10 days.

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“There are complex issues involved” that require the submission of briefs with legal arguments according to the appeal.

The appeals process could be a lengthy one. Each side gets to submit a  brief and numerous factors could extend the appeals process, including motions and the scheduling of potential requests to present oral arguments. In addition, McClure did not request an expedited appeal and the appeals of incarcerated people are generally given priority over those, like Ravi, who remain free on bail.

UNEXPECTED SENTENCE

Ravi was sentenced on Monday to a 30-day jail term and then probation. Judge Glen Brennan also ordered  Ravi to get counseling and pay $10,000 toward a program to help victims of hate crimes.

Following Monday’s sentencing, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan declared the sentence to be  “insufficient.”

In a statement, Kaplan said, “While the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office did not request the maximum period of incarceration for Dharun Ravi, it was expected that his conviction on multiple offenses of invading the privacy of two victims on two separate occasions, four counts of bias intimidation against Tyler Clementi, and the coverup of those crimes, would warrant more than a 30-day jail term.

“The imposition of this term is insufficient under the sentencing laws of this state, the facts that were determined by a jury, and long-standing appellate precedent. Consequently, this office will appeal the sentence.