One year later, what the numbers say 287 (g)
November 16, 2010

LAWRENCEVILLE — As of Tuesday, the controversial 287 (g) program meant to grease the deportation process had been active for a year in Gwinnett, and its impact appears to be significant.

Reporter: Josh Green, Staff Writer

LAWRENCEVILLE — As of Tuesday, the controversial 287 (g) program meant to grease the deportation process had been active for a year in Gwinnett, and its impact appears to be significant.

Most telling among the fertile, statistical soil that 287 (g) has sown is this number: 28 percent.

That’s how much the total number of foreign-born jail bookings has dropped since 287 (g) was activated on Nov. 16, 2009. That’s 4,289 fewer inmates compared to the previous year. The cost to house an inmate is $45 per day, meaning the county saved roughly $130,000 for each day those inmates weren’t incarcerated.

“The program’s doing exactly what we wanted it to do,â€