[jirdperson]

You should read the article. In short, she didn't actually ignore the court's order to meet her academic obligations.

A law could be harsh, but fair, sure. However, an excessively harsh law is not fair, nor is an inconsistently-enforced one. This situation ticks both of those boxes.

> Being ordered to do her homework was a weak sanction, she ignored it, so she needs a stronger stimulus.

This simple-minded, old-fashioned line of thinking is out of touch with contemporary scholarship and a major contributor to the US criminal justice system's inefficacy.