Project Exile" - A Promising New Gun Violence Initiative

Abstract

In recent years, our government has made tremendous efforts to combat gun violence. Some programs, like the Brady Bill, have proven successful. However, it remains to be seen what new steps our government should take in the ongoing battle against gun violence. One promising new program. Project Exile, first implemented in Richmond, Virginia, takes a cooperative approach toward solving this terrible problem. Project Exile focuses state and federal resources to enforce existing federal laws that prohibit convicted felons from possessing firearms. Under this initiative, more firearm cases are prosecuted in federal court where sentences are tougher. Project Exile has already produced dramatic preliminary results in Richmond, but what will be the long-term results of the program and will it work elsewhere? Because this program is in its initial stages of implementation, this study is perhaps the first academic evaluation of the innovative program. This study focuses on the homicide rates oi Richmond, Virginia and over a dozen of other jurisdictions that have implemented similar programs since the inception of Richmond's Project Exile.