An old friend sent me an article from the Providence Journal about a college student who was sentenced to prison time on a drunk-driving charge. That's not so shocking; it should probably happen more often. What made this case interesting was that the student wouldn't have gotten jail time but for the fact that a photo of him was posted on Facebook in which he appeared to be making light of his crime.
In October 2006, Joshua Lipton, 22, hit two cars and severely injured a young woman while his blood alcohol level was at least .156. A few weeks later at a Halloween party, he dressed up as an inmate, complete with the words "Jail Bird" in stencil lettering. A friend posted this photo to Facebook.
Prosecutors used the photo to show that Lipton had no remorse for his acts, and deserved time in the state prison -- which he received.
A law professor quoted in the article commented, "It used to be that a friend would tell on you. Now you tell on yourself." He went on, "We are social animals. You really haven't done something until you tell your best friend you did it." But now, "On the Internet everybody is your best friend."
And to top it off, whenever anyone searches Joshua Lipton (or any of his brothers-in-name-only) from now on, this story and photo are what will turn up. There's no get-out-of-jail-free card for that problem.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Go Directly to Jail, Do Not Visit Facebook
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Earlier this year a woman was sentenced to 10.5 years (one year shy of the max sentence) for negligent homicide after a DUI accident in which she killed a cyclist. The judge threw the book at her based on the breathtaking inhumanity expressed by her during a recorded telephone conversation. Her BAC was also .156 and she was driving on a suspended license for a prior DUI. Read more here
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