Drugs still hurt people. DOSing a library doesn't. Obviously that depends on which drugs and how many, and maybe the laws are a little "one-size-fits-all" here.

It is just me, or does a 35 year old prison term sound CRAZY? Never mind the proposed monetary fine... the punishment just doesn't seem to fit the crime. It's outrageous.

To put things into perspective...

- Swartz, 24, faces 35 years in prison and a $1 million fine under the indictment.

- Anders Breivik killed at least 76 people, and the maximum punishment under Norwegian law is 21 years (albeit with the option to extend it for 5 years each after that).

Who committed the bigger and more serious crime here??

Someone mentally unhinged enough to kill his own mother clearly is a danger to society though, unless there was a strong case that she deserved it. In that case, sure. No sense in putting him in physical harms way by putting him in jail.

Imprisonment as a punishment is a horrendously barbaric concept, particularly considering the current state of the American prison system. White collar criminals, or any color collar, if not a physical danger to society, should never be sent into those hellholes.

Prisons should be used solely for isolation. People like Charles Manson clearly need to be detained. Treatment, where deemed possible and necessary, should be done in proper medical facilities. People who don't need treatment and are not a danger to society should be in neither.

If their crimes are financial, punish them financially. Strip them of their assets and garnish their wages. It works for deadbeat parents (who I absolutely oppose putting into prisons).