New York: India-born Dharun Ravi, convicted of hate crime for spying on his gay roommate and sentenced to 30 days in jail, could end up spending only 20 days behind bars due to prison regulations in New Jersey that give credit to inmates for good behaviour.
Ravi, 20, was to begin his prison term on May 31, after being sentenced earlier this week by Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman to a 30-day jail term, three years probation, 300 hours of community service and ordered to pay $10,000 to a community-based organisation that helps victims of bias crimes.
However, the prosecution filed an appeal against his sentence arguing that it is lenient. Due to the appeal being filed in court, Ravi will now not head to jail next Thursday and his sentence would start only after the appeals court in Middlesex County makes its ruling.
Once the former Rutgers student begins his prison term in New Jersey's county jail, it is likely that 10 days are cut off from his sentence due to state regulations that give credit to inmates for good behaviour, Middlesex County Adult Correction Center warden Edmond Cicchi said, according to a report in the Star-Ledger newspaper.
Cicchi said New Jersey regulations allowed those who were sentenced to 30 days to have up to five days slashed from their term for good behavior and another five days for doing tasks like sweeping or mopping in prison.
Short-term inmates in county jails are seldom kept for their full terms unless they are charged with rules infractions.
Ravi had faced up to 10 years in prison and possible deportation to his native India when he was sentenced on May 21. His 30-day prison sentence was described as insufficient by Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan.
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