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DrmzHm
Tim Krueger, Cornell Universiy
The American legal system should constitute a positive institutionalpresence for the homeless instead of leaving them predisposed toincarceration and prolonged homelessness.
The criminalizaion o homelessness is based in he illogical concepualizaiono homelessness as a spaial problem insead o a problem acing individuals.While laws ha arge he homeless prohibi heir exisence and daily uncioningin cerain spaces, hey do nohing o creae ewer homeless people. Raher,he sae’s confaion o homelessness and incarceraion leads o a populaion oindividuals who are insiuionally dependen and in ac less able o uncion inmainsream sociey.
History
U.S. prison andhomelessness populaionshave boh grown in hepas 30 years, alhough heexac magniude o U.S.homelessness is a conesedigure. The rend owardscriminalizing homelessnesshas gained much o ismomenum in he pasdecade. A couner rendis eviden, as a number ociies have implemeneden year plans o addresshe roo causes o chronichomelessness; such plansrepresen a disinc breakrom he heory behindcriminalized homelessness.The irs cour program ogive special ocus o homeless populaions was pioneered in San Diegoin 1989. The program employed alernaive senencing and plea bargains.Seveny ive percen o homeless individuals who have paricipaed in hisprogram demonsraed signiican behavioral changes, especially in he levelo comor wih which hey were able o inerac wih cours and police. TheSan Diego program is able o resolve 100% o is cases wihin wo years. Todae, weny similar Homeless Cour Programs have sproued up in varioussaes, and over 80 programs or homeless legal aid now exis.
Key Facts
Abou 20% o adul homeless males a any given
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momen have been incarceraed or some ime,alhough his gure exceeds 50% when experi-ences in local jails are included.55% o U.S. ciies prohibi loiering in public places
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or all places, leaving ew legal opions or home-less individuals who have nowhere o go duringhe day.There has been a 12% increase in laws agains pan-
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handling, naionwide, beween 2002 and 2006.The criminalizaion o homelessness also re-
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quenly includes conscaing homeless people’sbelongings, ning chariy organizaions ha eedhe homeless, prohibiing siting and sleeping insome areas, and arresing homeless children un-der he auspices o curew laws.I coss he sae abou $50 per day o imprison
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an individual, and beween $5.50 and $30 perday o sheler a homeless person.
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