U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein of the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday said a 24-year-old woman's extensive history of abuse and prospects for rehabilitation undergirded his decision to sentence her to 48 months in prison after her conviction of providing material support to the militant group ISIS.

Weinstein issued a 55-page opinion explaining the reasoning behind the sentence he handed to Sinmyah Amera Ceasar. He also called for a federal program of deradicalization in cases like Caesar's.

Prosecutors had complained that Caesar's prison term was just a tiny fraction of the 30- to 50-year sentence they had sought in the case.

Weinstein said the seriousness of Caesar's offense warranted some prison time, but he said an extended period of incarceration would likely prove detrimental to her health and serve to further radicalize her.

The “ideal sentence,” Weinstein wrote, would be to place Ceasar in a deradicalization or disengagement program, either in while prison or on probation. However, Weinstein noted that no such program currently exists in the U.S., and he called on the Federal Bureau of Prisons to consider implementing one.

“The Bureau of Prisons should seriously consider designing an appropriate program to deal with American terrorists like this one. Without access to treatment while incarcerated or on supervised release, defendant will likely remain an unrehabilitated supporter of ISIL and a continuing danger to the United States,” he said, using another common acronym to refer to the terrorist group.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn declined to comment Thursday on the sentence and Weinstein's opinion.

According to court documents, Ceasar pleaded guilty in 2017 to providing material support and resources to ISIS, after she was arrested trying to board a plane to Sweden by way of Turkey.

Prosecutors suspected that Caesar was on her way to join the group in ISIS-held territory in the Middle East. According to court records, Ceasar had been in regular contact with ISIS recruiters online and had attempted to assist four others in joining the group prior to her arrest.

Weinstein said Ceasar had been awaiting sentencing for more than a year when she was released on bond, due to declining health conditions. While on pre-sentencing release, however, Ceasar again contacted members of ISIS through social media and text apps and deleted thousands of communications in an effort to cover her tracks.

At sentencing, Ceasar's public defender, Deirdre Dionysia Von Dornum, argued that Ceasar's personal history made her an easy target for ISIS recruiters.

Von Dornum said that her client had been sexually abused by her father for years as a child and suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. By her early 20s, Caesar, a high school dropout who had been the primary caregiver to her ailing mother, had endured a miscarriage and was married three times to abusive men.

On Wednesday, Weinstein credited the testimony of medical experts, who said Ceasar's attraction to ISIS was motivated primarily by her sense of isolation and desire for purpose. He also agreed that Ceasar's risk of reoffending was low because she had shown signs of personal growth and had not exhibited any signs of violence.

He recommended that Ceasar be held in a prison medical facility, where she would have access to support programs and could be visited by her half-brother, who has spoken out on her behalf.

In total, Weinstein's sentence included 46 months for the material support charge, one month for obstruction and one additional month under federal statute. He subtracted 24 months for time already served in federal custody, meaning that Ceasar could be up for release in less than two years for good behavior.

“The court's conclusion is that a lengthy term of incarceration during which her medical needs are not fully met would be extremely harmful to Ceasar's development as a productive member of society,” Weinstein wrote.

“Continued separation of Defendant from a supportive, non-incarcerated community will also be detrimental to the goal of rehabilitation,” he said.

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