Should a Computer Hacker with Asperger Syndrome Go to Prison?
Human rights activist backs computer hacker. When human rights activist Terry Waite spoke in support of Gary McKinnon, the noted Pentagon hacker, it made quite a stir in March 2009. Waite is a former Beirut hostage, imprisoned for four years in Lebanon in the 1980s. Waite told the press that the US should thank McKinnon for exposing the fragility of the Pentagons computer system. Waite does not condone McKinnons illegal Internet activity. However, he does believe that McKinnon should not be held to the same standards as other international criminals because he suffers from the developmental disorder, Asperger Syndrome. Other celebrities and legal experts have announced their backing of McKinnon also, but Waites statements have more emotional appeal, considering the personal trauma he endured as a hostage. Should McKinnon, a UK citizen be extradited to the US to stand trial for his crimes against the American government? If so, should the US government consider his diagnosis of Asperger
