Malware victim faces jailtime; Write Connecticut's Governor
You've probably read of Julie Amero's unbelievable malware misfortune. The substitute teacher was working at a Norwich, Connecticut school in 2004 when the classroom computer began spewing porn pop-ups in front of a room full of pupils. The result; Amero was arrested and charged with four counts of "impairing the morals of a child", a crime of which she was subsequently convicted. Nevermind the legions of experts who've offered to testify for free, or the fact that the computer in question was never even analyzed by an independent expert before Amero's trial. Mrs. Amero got pwned in the truest sense of the word. She faces sentencing on March 3rd. The only thing that can save Julie Amero now is the uncertainty of a lengthy appeals process, or a pardon from
I've written Governor Rell, (politely) asking that she speak independently with any number of the available experts (or even read a short article from Harvard's Ben Edelman) and then use that information to make the right decision; Issue a pardon of Julie Amero. Now it's your turn. Take 5 minutes out of your day and do what you can to keep Julie Amero from serving jail-time for falling victim to malware! Think for one minute about the last time you answered a ridiculously simple computer question for a computer-noob relative, and of how a concept so simple for you was so mind boggling for them. Your five minutes meant a lot, didn't it? In this case, that same five minutes could save Julie Amero from jail.
Thanks to DLS reader Kevin, who sent us this interesting update:
[Governor Rell's office told me ] that because it concerns a legal matter, the governor has no authority to intervene. I actually did some investigating online and found out that this is TRUE...the governor has no power to grant pardons.
"In the State of Connecticut, the Governor does not have the authority to grant a pardon as this authority is given to the Board of Pardon and Paroles, if you have any questions regarding the pardon process in the State of Connecticut, I would suggest you contact this agency directly at (203) 805-6605."
Connecticut Board of Pardon and Parole
(203) 805-6605
Chairman Gregory Everett
Rowland Government Center
55 West Main Street, Suite 520
Waterbury, Connecticut 06702
You can email Chairman Gregory Everett at greg.everett@po.state.ct.us
A full directory of the board can be found here.
Although the Connecticut Governor has no power to grant a pardon, she does have influence over almost every other area of Connecticut's legal system. She should still hear from you to encourage action in Connecticut's schools and the administration of Connecticut's classroom computers which would prevent this from being an issue ever again.
To contact the Governor of Connecticut and tell her what you think about Mrs. Amero's case
Snail Mail
Governor M. Jodi Rell
Executive Office of the Governor
State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, Connecticut 06106
Telephone
Greater Hartford Area: 860-566-4840
Toll Free: 800-406-1527
TDD: 860-524-7397
Governor.Rell@po.state.ct.us
