That was a really thoughtful follow-up column that I respect very much, thanks for that. I have discussed this with others inside and outside my family and the ambivalence of emotions is the same as you express in your column.

We can look at another example from Pro Sports... Frank Clark was drafted by Seattle despite a domestic charge that was pretty serious. He was quiet for two seasons, building up credibility, and then went off on a Twitter rant against a woman journalist recently. He was hauled into the Seahawks Office and issued a contrite and insincere  apology within 24 hours, but it is clear the concept of "redemption" was not there for Frank Clark. 

My conclusion is that each case should be treated individually; implementing a "mandatory sentencing" approach has not served our country well in our penal system, and should not be carried over to the academic world as suggested by Mr. Meek.