SCHOOL WON'T LET MURDERER TEACH CRIMINAL JUSTICE

PHOENIX -- Complaints raised when a convicted murderer was hired to teach
criminal justice at Arizona State University convinced school officials to
reverse themselves Thursday.

James Hamm, who shot and killed someone when he was a teen-ager, will not
teach classes this spring semester as planned, officials said Thursday, the
same day The Arizona Republic had reported Hamm's hiring.

``The debate surrounding Mr. Hamm's employment in the classroom at ASU
would be too disruptive to the educational environment, as evidenced by the
reaction to his hiring,'' said Milton Glick, ASU provost and senior vice
president.

Some members of the legal community had been critical of the idea.

``This has got to be a cruel joke,'' Phoenix attorney Dan Cracchiolo said.
``It's like Hannibal Lecter inviting Jodie Foster to a tea party.''

Hamm said he was disappointed with the school's decision but not entirely
surprised.

``I would prefer to teach, but that's just not in the cards and that's not
the way it's going to happen,'' Hamm told The Associated Press. Earlier, he
told the paper ``I never had any problems with the students or faculty in
law school. ... It was just a problem with the politicians and newspapers.''

Hamm pleaded guilty in 1974 to shooting Willard J. Morely Jr. during a drug
deal in Tucson. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison and served
17 years before he was paroled in 1992.

Since then he earned his college degree, then a law degree from ASU.
Despite his gains, the state's clemency board refused earlier this year to
release him from parole.

Dennis Palumbo, the justice studies professor who interviewed Hamm for the
job, said Hamm deserves a second chance.

``He did something real stupid when he was 17. Why the hell should we
condemn him for the rest of his life?'' Palumbo said.

Hamm was supposed to teach one pre-law course on substantive criminal law
and another on due process and the Bill of Rights at the School of Justice
Studies.

Hamm still has a contract with the school, Glick said. Hamm said he is
negotiating with the university on his new position, which could be research.

ASU will also change hiring procedures for part-time instructors. Hiring
had been left to department chairmen, but a dean will now review their
decisions, Glick said.

Checked-by: derek rea