11.10.07
Exile as Punishment
A federal judge in Boston this week handed down what seems to be an unprecedented sentence - he ordered that three men, who had just plead guilty to distribution of cocaine, be banned from the city for twelve years after they complete their prison sentences.
“We have never seen this happen before,” [U.S. Attorney Michael] Sullivan said. “The judge was persuaded to separate them from the people they influence.”
I must admit that I am flummoxed by this ruling. Will they be charged with trespassing if they come back to Boston? Based on my rudimentary understanding of the Tenth Amendment and Article 4, I suppose it is constitutional, as it does not restrict interstate travel, but I’m guessing this is not one of the things that the defendants were anticipating when going through a plea colloquy.
