Does anybody here remember
Project Exile?
In 1997 Richmond Virginia started prosecuting gun crimes in Federal Court and the Federal Court sentenced people to a
mandatory minimum five years in federal prison. If I understand correctly they were also prosecuting Prohibited Peesons Federaly and sending them to Federal Prison.
From Wikipedia
Within the first year (1997–1998) Project Exile resulted in:
[2]
- The first Exile case made by Officer Gene Baskette, and Officer Mark Wooten of the Street Enforcement Unit of the Richmond Police Dept.
- 372 persons indicted for Federal gun violations.
- 440 illegally possessed guns seized.
- 300 persons arrested or held in State custody.
- 222 arrestees (more than 74 percent) held without bond.
- 247 persons convicted.
- 196 persons sentenced to an average of 55 months of imprisonment.
During the first year of Project Exile (1998), homicides in Richmond declined 33%, for the lowest number since 1987, and armed robberies declined 30%. In 1999, homicides declined another 21%.
[2] By 2007, homicides in Richmond were down to 57 compared to 122 in the year before Project Exile.
[4]
I read somewhere that a big part of the program was that offenders were sent to Federal Prisons away from their home state. Where they didn't know anyone in the Prison and it was too far for their family to go visit them. Which also had a deterrent effect but I can't find any documentation on that.
Unfortunately the program was discontinued because (It actually worked) it was found to "disproportionately affect African Americans."
Although, I'm hearing that certain places are bringing it back.