Alright, while I hate pirates and piracy, however, we must make sure the punishment fits the crime. These people don't have the intent to harm others with their actions, nor are they attempting to steal or defraud on a large scale.

An 18 year old hacker/child being raped daily in a federal prison, for stealing a copy of DMC4, is not my idea of justice.


Now, that said, in this case, I feel the sentences might have been warranted, considering the level of the violation.

However much we hate and despise these hackers, we shouldn't that a persons life be ruined for a victimless crime they committed, while setting in front of their computer, in their room, watching Futurama and eating cheetos.

Large scale piracy, or piracy for profit is a completely different beef, though, and in this case, I'm not completely reverted to jail time. My fear is this may be a slippery slope which could lead to smaller, and indeed smalltime offenders catching the same charges.

I disagree.  Fines alone could be seen as merely "if they catch you, you lose your ill-gotten gains"; and considering what the odds against an individual pirate being caught are, that if makes it hardly a deterrent at all. 

Some jail time for massive offenses is appropriate (these guys had for-profit illegal businesses), and the jail sentences are short -- less than one year and barely more than a year, respectively; that is not what I would call a huge burden on our jail system.  It's not like they're arresting these guys by the hundreds like they do with marijuana.

That's more a problem of the prison system and not so much a problem of the punishment.  It is unfortunate that these people will become someone's bitch but that doesn't mean they shouldn't get out of their punishment.

That's more a problem of the prison system and not so much a problem of the punishment.  It is unfortunate that these people will become someone's bitch but that doesn't mean they shouldn't get out of their punishment.

Actually it kinda does... with the Cruel and Unusual punishment stature.  The problems with the prison system play directly into that... and if it's so bad that the punnishment now becomes cruel and unusual that person would be let out of their sentence or given a reduced lesser penalty if one is availble. (like a fine.)

Actually it kinda does... with the Cruel and Unusual punishment stature.  The problems with the prison system play directly into that... and if it's so bad that the punnishment now becomes cruel and unusual that person would be let out of their sentence or given a reduced lesser penalty if one is availble. (like a fine.)

That's true, and I've revised my original post to reflect a less hardnosed stance on pirate freedom.

My issue here isn't that I care if pirates who make a profit, go to prison.

Instead, I have a slippery slope issue where we start sending Johnny Smith, age 16, to prison in New York State because he stole 5 computer games off a torrent site.

I'm, instead, for fines for downloaders, with much harsher crimes for profiteers and uploaders.

Yeah, I think that describes my stance better.

Here, the suicide rate for young white males sentenced to relatively short prison terms is very, very high after a couple of days in gen-pop. My brother works as a guard over there. No AC, deep south 110 degrees, stinks. Makes you think twice about catching that DUI. It's a horrible, horrible place, prison in Mississippi. Avoid it at all costs.