Ex-Con Turned Professor

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In recent news, there has been controversy over Kathy Boudin, an ex-con who was convicted of murder, working at Columbia University as an adjunct professor in the school of Social Work. Boudin was a part of a radical group called Weather Underground and was involved in a 1981 armed robbery which took the life of two police officers and one security guard. She was convicted of murder in 1984 and was sentenced to 22 years in jail. She was released from prison on parole in 2003 and was hired by Columbia University in 2008 to teach coursework on re-entering society after incarceration. Although she has been with the organization for the past five years, media outlets recently caught wind of the news and there has been uproar from members of the community, especially from family members of the victims of the murder case. They claim that she is not remorseful of her actions and that she is utilizing her position to push for release of her accomplices that still remain in prison. On the flip side, there are others, including her students that feel as though she is an excellent professor with high evaluations year after year.

Life after prison is never easy, especially for those who have been in there for long periods of time. As a society, we are taught that the ethical thing to do is to give these people a fair chance at life again. By Columbia hiring this woman and giving her the opportunity to lead a normal life once again, it seems like they were doing what was morally just. However, in the viewpoint of the family members of the victims, it is completely understandable as to why they would be upset with her re-entering society and holding such a prestigious position. They have suffered for decades due to the crime that Boudin is responsible for and it is understandably difficult for them to accept it. It is difficult to determine how Columbia University should respond to the backlash they have been receiving. Is it ethical to stand by Boudin or to take a different approach? It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.