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by James Robertson.
Original Post: An inappropriate punishment
Feed Title: Richard Demers Blog
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Jeff Parsons, the Minnesota teenager, who re-released the blaster virus and damaged a number of computer systems (in particular Microsoft's), was sentenced to 18 months in prison. What is inappropriate about this is not that he is being punished and being made an example to other kid-hackers, it is that the government is wasting up-wards of $50,000 to do so -- and that's after all the court costs spent in prosecuting him.
Keeping someone in prison, even a minimum security prison, is horribly expensive. There is certainly a need for prisons for violent and repeating offenders, but for a crime where no person was physically harmed or threatened? No, an alternative form of punishment should have been available to the courts. Specifically, it is time for the criminal justice system to develop and use (where appropriate) electronic forms of imprisonment. Think about it; with today's miniaturized computer and communications technology it should be possible to severely constrain a person's freedom of movement, action and association -- an electronic prison -- at a fraction of the cost of physical imprisonment.
Getting back to Jeff Parsons, it so happens that I have met him. What the newspapers said about him is correct; he's a smart but lonely, somewhat screwed-up kid who did something stupid. He has admitted that, and has taken steps to show how sorry he is; in particular, he made a video for high school kids about why what he did was so wrong. Sticking him in prison for 18 months accomplishes nothing but revenge at high cost. But then, society has always wanted it's pound of flesh.
Meanwhile, the creators of the original virus go free; makes sense, doesn't it?
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