CHICAGO, April 21 (UPI) -- Researchers at the University of Chicago and Columbia University say a program warning parolees of the penalties for carrying a gun has been effective.
The federally funded Project Safe Neighborhoods began operating in high-crime Chicago police districts in 2003.
The study found only 4 percent of those parolees selected to attend meetings after their release from prison were re-incarcerated for committing new crimes, while 22 percent of parolees from the same neighborhoods who did not attend the forums were re-arrested.
"The numbers exceeded expectations," Assistant U.S. Attorney David Hoffman told the Chicago Sun-Times. "We didn't think we would see such a large drop so quickly."
Federal, state and local prosecutors, law enforcement officials and ex-offenders meet with parolees in hour-long sessions to explain stern sentences for repeat gun offenders.
The Illinois Department of Corrections and Chicago police hope to expand the community outreach effort to more inmates released on parole.
