Eco-Terrorist Sentenced To Five Years In Federal Prison, and Must Read Malcolm Gladwell Book

January 28th, 2014

I think the latter punishment may be substantively unreasonable under the Guidelines:

A Canadian woman who admitted taking part in ecoterrorism firebombings has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Rebecca Rubin, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and arson charges in October. The sentence was the lowest Rubin could have received under federal sentencing guidelines.

U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken said Monday in federal court in Portland, Oregon, that Rubin showed contrition and lived in “an emotional prison cell” during seven years as a fugitive in Canada, from December 2005 to November 2012.

Aiken included in her sentence an order to read two books: “David and Goliath,” by Malcolm Gladwell, which Aiken said Rubin could learn non-violent means to protesting systems she perceives as unjust; and “Nature’s Trust,” by University of Oregon environmental law professor Mary C. Wood.

Isn’t being in jail punishment enough?