How much is a second chance worth?
Richard Dobeski is a 55-year-old convicted murderer. He has also told undisclosed authorities that he hopes to move to Muncie and attend Ball State University.
As reported in The Star Press last week, Dobeski was released from a Michigan City prison on Sept. 18 after serving half of his 80-year sentence.
People are trusting (or perhaps na+â-»ve) to think that after 40 years in prison, Dobeski has been rehabilitated and changed. The weight of his crimes has sparred with his conscience since he was a teen-ager. Surely four decades of faithful, lonely incarceration have eliminated his threat.-á
After all, Dobeski was only 16 years old when he murdered two neighborhood children and stuffed their bodies in a crawlspace under his home.
But even at that age, he had already attracted the attention of Indiana's authorities. The Star Press reported that, in 1961 and 1963, he'd been investigated over allegations of child molestation.
Without a doubt, Dobeski has a dark, violent and frightening history, but that does not mean he will always be a dark, violent and frightening criminal.
The Indiana Department of Corrections thinks similarly. It has approved his release, and prison psychiatrists, with whom Dobeski spent years, have pronounced him "cured."
He has even taken classes through Ball State's prison-education program. By all means, Dobeski has proven to prison and state officials that he has been rehabilitated.
Though Dobeski has not formally applied, Ball State has to prepare to decide if it wants this kind of man on its campus. The city of Muncie also has to determine if it wants this kind of man frequenting its businesses and interacting with its population.
If the university agrees that he has been rehabilitated, it can and should find a place for him. He deserves a second chance, whether it is in Michigan City or Ball State.
His potential enrollment is disconcerting, but if he ever does apply, he will have to register to live in Muncie and be granted leave according to the stipulations of his parole contract.
He, and his application, will also be ridiculously (but rightly) scrutinized by the admissions office, the Muncie and Ball State news media and the city and university governance.
His leash is short enough that, if he gives authorities the slightest reason, he'll be jerked right back into prison, probably for the rest of his life.
Dobeski poses no more threat to Ball State's students and the surrounding neighborhoods' children than rush-hour traffic, poisonous household chemicals or freak accidents. He is (and always will be) a convicted murderer. But the state's professionals believe he is rehabilitated.
Ball State's administration and Muncie's leadership are wise enough to keep students and the surrounding communities safe. If the admissions board, or his parole board for that matter, believes Dobeski is a threat, he will never leave Michigan City. -á
Ball State's and Muncie's populations have many issues, problems and causes to worry about. But until he gives a reason, Dobeski should not be added to the list.
Write to Allyn at aswest@bsu.edu
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