I can't say I really have an opinion on this.  I haven't come across someone who was banned for plagiarism but who I thought would actually contribute something worthwhile to the forum.  There was this one guy on our local board who appealed his ban, and if I remember right, he waited years before finally getting it overturned.  but as far as I know, he never came back to participate much after that anyway. So I kinda wonder how many previously-banned yet potentially valuable members this whole effort will actually bring back into the fold.  I guess we can hope for the best.