Professor Watchlist

David Carrillo is the first Adjunct Professor at Adams State University to hold a teaching position from prison. 

Chalkbeat Colorado reported, “On a late November [2023] afternoon, at the head of a cramped classroom, [Carrillo] stood at a small podium and quizzed 17 students on macroeconomic terminology. For the two-hour class, Carrillo … mostly kept his hands in his pockets as he lectured students.” 

Chalkbeat Colorado continued, “[Carrillo] holds a position that is extremely rare in prison: He’s an incarcerated professor teaching in a prison bachelor’s degree program. A new initiative at Adams State — one of the first of its kind in the country — focuses on employing incarcerated people with graduate degrees as college professors, rather than bringing in instructors from the outside.”

The source said Carrillo, who was supposed to serve a life sentence for a murder in 1993, was pardoned by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis after 29 years served.

The Denver Post provided more details on Carrillo’s charges, “[Carrillo], 49, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1994 after he participated in [a] 1993 gang shooting … Carrillo, then 20, did not pull the trigger, but stood nearby during the slaying and was convicted as a conspirator.”

The Denver Post also said Carrillo was “praised” by the governor for earning a general education degree and two higher education degrees while serving time.

While incarcerated, Carrillo taught fellow inmates at the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility. Upon his release, Carrillo could have an opportunity to serve on campus.

Please send tips and information on David Carrillo to Watchlists@tpusa.com.

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Published – March 26, 2024