Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht Sentenced to Life in Prison

[moriartybitcoin]

Living every day for the rest of your life in those conditions could be a fate worse than death.

Without any doubt, it is. Death is frightening only because it's the unknown, but there is nothing worth fearing in the unknown. There never has been. Men used to fear sailing off the edge of the flat Earth, what came of that?

But lifetime of slow, lonely suffering? That is truly worth fearing my friends. That is worth suicide. If you only remember one thing I've ever said on these forums, let it be this: Don't fear the reaper.

hence the deterrent effect of the verdict, and why Ross is other peoples' time (people they will never catch, like the owners of Atlantis, etc)

I would not be surprised to see some of the other markets go out of business soon with 'exit scams,' shutting down and taking all the coins.  It's much less risky than actually running a market, many of them will get out while the gettin' is good

[spud21]

Living every day for the rest of your life in those conditions could be a fate worse than death.

Without any doubt, it is. Death is frightening only because it's the unknown, but there is nothing worth fearing in the unknown. There never has been. Men used to fear sailing off the edge of the flat Earth, what came of that?

But lifetime of slow, lonely suffering? That is truly worth fearing my friends. That is worth suicide. If you only remember one thing I've ever said on these forums, let it be this: Don't fear the reaper.

hence the deterrent effect of the verdict, and why Ross is other peoples' time (people they will never catch, like the owners of Atlantis, etc)

I would not be surprised to see some of the other markets go out of business soon with 'exit scams,' shutting down and taking all the coins.  It's much less risky than actually running a market, many of them will get out while the gettin' is good

Both evolution and black bank recently went out of business with exit scams. I doubt it's a coincidence that they closed around the time of the Ross trial. However, there always seems to be someone waiting to step into their shoes no matter how big the deterrent.

Those drug kingpins in the photos were made examples of, but there was always someone waiting to take over.

[Beliathon]

Living every day for the rest of your life in those conditions could be a fate worse than death.

Without any doubt, it is. Death is frightening only because it's the unknown, but there is nothing worth fearing in the unknown. There never has been. Men used to fear sailing off the edge of the flat Earth, what came of that?

But lifetime of slow, lonely suffering? That is truly worth fearing my friends. That is worth suicide. If you only remember one thing I've ever said on these forums, let it be this: Don't fear the reaper.

hence the deterrent effect of the verdict, and why Ross is other peoples' time (people they will never catch, like the owners of Atlantis, etc)

I would not be surprised to see some of the other markets go out of business soon with 'exit scams,' shutting down and taking all the coins.  It's much less risky than actually running a market, many of them will get out while the gettin' is good

Both evolution and black bank recently went out of business with exit scams. I doubt it's a coincidence that they closed around the time of the Ross trial. However, there always seems to be someone waiting to step into their shoes no matter how big the deterrent.

Those drug kingpins in the photos were made examples of, but there was always someone waiting to take over.

In capitalism profit finds a way to be made, just as water always finds a way downhill toward sea level. The makers and enforcers of laws can no more deny this reality than they can deny gravity.

[jmurjeff]

Ulbricht is soft and going to supermax .. he's going to be abused and crumple. I feel bad for him.

If he actually goes to the Supermax, then it will be good for him. He will be locked up for 23 hours in isolation

Isolation is torture for any primate, 23 hours a day of torture will not be good for him. He will slowly go mad. I can imagine few fates worse than that.

Yeah isolation drives people to insanity. I thought the government was supposed to be against cruel and unusual punishment. I guess torture is whatever the government defines it as.

[AceWallen]

it's really awful they gave him life in prison. i had sort of expected it -- that they would make an example of him. but it really is incredibly cruel. my thoughts are with him.

[bryant.coleman]

In Norway the longest sentence you can get for ANY crime is 18 years. Anders Brevik got 18 years for that kids-camp shooting rampage and he'll be getting out in about 10 years.

This is laughable. Just 10 years in jail (that too in a Norwegian prison with 5-star facilities) for killing 77 people? Not exactly the sort of punishment which deters potential criminals, if you ask me. In the United States, people are sentenced to life in prison without parole, for robbing someone with a pistol for just $100 or $200.

[S4VV4S]

Ulbricht is soft and going to supermax .. he's going to be abused and crumple. I feel bad for him.

If he actually goes to the Supermax, then it will be good for him. He will be locked up for 23 hours in isolation

Isolation is torture for any primate, 23 hours a day of torture will not be good for him. He will slowly go mad. I can imagine few fates worse than that.

All you get in a Supermax is a tiny cell where all the furniture is made of unmovable concrete and a polished metal plate embedded into the wall to act as a mirror. The exercise yard is also tiny with very high walls that prevent you glimpsing the sun, and you only use it alone.

Living every day for the rest of your life in those conditions could be a fate worse than death.

Wow. That sounds like hell.
I am guessing the only way to keep sane is to (if allowed) exchange mail with a few people.
Keep in touch with real people, before the imaginary people show up....

[newflesh]

Ulbricht is soft and going to supermax .. he's going to be abused and crumple. I feel bad for him.

If he actually goes to the Supermax, then it will be good for him. He will be locked up for 23 hours in isolation

Isolation is torture for any primate, 23 hours a day of torture will not be good for him. He will slowly go mad. I can imagine few fates worse than that.

All you get in a Supermax is a tiny cell where all the furniture is made of unmovable concrete and a polished metal plate embedded into the wall to act as a mirror. The exercise yard is also tiny with very high walls that prevent you glimpsing the sun, and you only use it alone.

Living every day for the rest of your life in those conditions could be a fate worse than death.

Wow. That sounds like hell.
I am guessing the only way to keep sane is to (if allowed) exchange mail with a few people.
Keep in touch with real people, before the imaginary people show up....

Yeah it doesn't sound too nice, no way does Ross deserve to be locked up like an animal. If he was a mass murderer or a terrorist it might be a bit more understandable, far as I can tell he's not a threat to anyone.

Prisoners are confined to their cells for 22 and a half to 24 hours a day. They will only leave it for an hour’s solitary exercise in a barren concrete yard or for a 15-minute shower on alternate days. Technology and design allow for these two activities to take place with a flick of a switch and without direct staff contact. Food, medication, post and any other provisions will be delivered to them through a hatch in their cell door, with little communication or time-wasting.

The regime of relentless solitary confinement and tight prisoner control in a typical supermax is made possible by prison architects. Without their professional knowledge and careful calculation and assessment of every design detail, it would not have been possible to hold hundreds of prisoners in complete isolation from each other within a single, relatively small, building for prolonged periods.

http://solitarywatch.com/2011/01/19/inside-the-american-supermax/

[bryant.coleman]

Ulbricht is soft and going to supermax .. he's going to be abused and crumple. I feel bad for him.

If he actually goes to the Supermax, then it will be good for him. He will be locked up for 23 hours in isolation

Isolation is torture for any primate, 23 hours a day of torture will not be good for him. He will slowly go mad. I can imagine few fates worse than that.

If I was in the place of Ross Ulbricht, I'd prefer being in Supermax's complete isolation than going to the hellish and over-crowded prisons such as Angola and San Quentin. Isolation is much better, when compared to getting sodomized and abused by all those rapists and murderers out there. Still... Ross will have to spent some 50 years (the remainder of his life) in complete isolation. It'll be tough.

[S4VV4S]

What if he was to go insane after a few years in solitary?
Would he be moved to a psychiatric unit?

I mean, spending the rest of your life like that, you are bound to go insane.
So what happens then?

[clipman77]

This is very significant for all, what this whole circus.

[newflesh]

What if he was to go insane after a few years in solitary?
Would he be moved to a psychiatric unit?

I mean, spending the rest of your life like that, you are bound to go insane.
So what happens then?

He'd probably spend the rest of his days sedated out of his brain and tied to a bed, probably an improvement on solitary confinement but not by much. I'd rather be jacked up with chems than pacing around in a tiny concrete box 24/7 with nothing to do.

[forevernoob]

Haven't read through the whole thread, but what prison is he going to?

[bryant.coleman]

What if he was to go insane after a few years in solitary?
Would he be moved to a psychiatric unit?

If possible, he'll commit suicide after 2 or 3 years. He is never going to be released from prison. So he will be addicted to depression as soon as he starts his prison sentence. It'll be very hard for him to take his own life under the constant surveillance of Supermax, but taking in to account that he is a very intelligent human being, he will find a way to do so. Also, there is a very small chance that he'll successfully conduct a prison break. How many prisoners have escaped from the Supermax, in history?

[kylo87]

Is a shame, but what did you expect from a state, and especially the US? There those who have power and those who can not.

[Blackbird0]

For those asking the judge gave a non-binding recommendation that he go to FCI Petersburg I in Virginia. If the public safety factor is not waived, the judge recommended he go to USP Tuscon in Arizona or USP Colemale II in Florida.

[Blackbird0]

For those asking the judge gave a non-binding recommendation that he go to FCI Petersburg I in Virginia. If the public safety factor is not waived, the judge recommended he go to USP Tuscon in Arizona or USP Colemale II in Florida.

So, Ross will still be jailed even if he challenges the judgement in higher court ?

Yes. In the United States federal system, you are held after conviction while appealing.

[Collymore]

For those asking the judge gave a non-binding recommendation that he go to FCI Petersburg I in Virginia. If the public safety factor is not waived, the judge recommended he go to USP Tuscon in Arizona or USP Colemale II in Florida.

So, Ross will still be jailed even if he challenges the judgement in higher court ?

He's been in prison since he first got arrested. So even if he was found not guilty he would have been in prison a year. Anyone know what happens when people have been jailed and then been found innocent? Do they get compensation for being falsely imprisoned? I can't imagine losing a year of your life for something like that and if I did I'd want to be adequately compensated.

[forevernoob]

For those asking the judge gave a non-binding recommendation that he go to FCI Petersburg I in Virginia. If the public safety factor is not waived, the judge recommended he go to USP Tuscon in Arizona or USP Colemale II in Florida.

None of these are supermax?
Wikipedia says they are "High Security"

[sgk]

Frankly I was expecting a harsh sentence. He was caught with his open laptop, signed in to silk road with admin account. They had all the evidence and logs from his laptop to prove anything they wanted.
It was very clear from the beginning that he couldn't get away with it and teh court will try to set an example out of this case to warn other dark web markets.

If he wasn't caught red-handed, then he could have had bigger chance to get out of it.