The Libertarian Party of New York is overjoyed by the recent pardon of Ross Ulbricht, founder of the Silk Road website, by President Donald Trump on his second day back in office. Ross, who was eleven years into a double life plus forty-year sentence, is now home with his family and free to begin a new chapter of his life.
Ross’s case has long been emblematic of the problem of excessive prison sentences for nonviolent criminals, particularly those who find themselves targeted by state agents who wish to make an example of them. Convicted back in 2015 on charges related to his operation of an online marketplace that facilitated trade in drugs and other black and gray market products and services, it is believed that federal agents wanted to send a message to the growing number of people who saw technologies such as cryptocurrency and anonymous darknet platforms as viable way to evade unjust laws or conduct business in currencies not subject to state control or taxation.
The LPNY stands firm in our belief that the state should not wield its power to instill fear in the public through arbitrary and excessive punishments of certain individuals, and continues to advocate reforms to the legal system focused on rehabilitation and restorative justice over retribution. Furthermore, we hope this pardon will draw increased attention to the problem of overly harsh sentences for nonviolent crimes, and will encourage broader public discourse on the topics of drug prohibition and other victimless crime laws.