Attending college – or denying the opportunity – should not become part of the criminal justice system.

It’s difficult, however, to find the balance between reintegrating a criminal into everyday life and respecting the concerns of those most affected by the crime.

St. Joseph’s College in Standish faces the difficult task. Two years ago, Luke Chouinard was driving a car that crashed, killing one student and injuring another. The car was going too fast, about twice the 40 mph speed limit, and Chouinard was convicted of manslaughter. He served 15 months in prison.

The family of the freshman who died, John Queenan, had asked the school to prohibit Chouinard from returning to campus. According to a report in the Portland Press Herald, they didn’t want to deny him an education – they asked the school to help him get in elsewhere – but only to protect the college community from the pain of dealing with the accident all over again.

David House, St. Joseph’s president, denied the request and struck the right tone with his comments contained in a letter to the Queenan family. “I know that Luke will have satisfied the criminal sanction assessed against him by the state of Maine,” House wrote, the Portland paper reported. “I believe that no useful purpose would be served … to prevent his return to the college, if that is what he wishes to do.”

Chouinard’s return to campus will be difficult. He will face a community that has been grievously injured by his actions and he will carry with him the responsibility for the death of another person. He has spent more than a year in prison and is likely a changed person.

The easy thing to do would be to ban him from the school, to push what happened as far from memory as possible. The tragic death of John Queenan cannot be undone. Chouinard still has a chance for a meaningful and responsible life. For that to happen, he must face his own culpability and begin to rehabilitate his life. If Chouinard so chooses, St. Joseph’s is an appropriate place to start. It won’t be easy for the school, its students or Chouinard. But what’s easy got to do with it?