4 ms·

The thought of fining or even jailing the homeless just for being homeless scares me. It's a more like criminalizing the poor and it would be a total waste of t

The thought of fining or even jailing the homeless just for being homeless scares me. It's a more like criminalizing the poor and it would be a total waste of taxpayers money.

CapstanRoller 3y ago
In the past, workhouses were used to "solve" this problem.
cogman10 3y ago
I agree. Why should my money go to a private prison to restrict an "unsightly" person when the same money could buy them a lot cheaper housing facilities? It costs a lot of tax payer money to throw people in jail (especially if it's a private prison). A more humane treatment of the homeless is also a benefit to the tax payer.
- jncfhnb 3y ago
  So if it were cheaper, what would you say
  - cogman10 3y ago
    That we should choose the humane route, but I wouldn't raise cost as a reason why. If housing the homeless in prisons is cheap, then a program where they can come and go from a prison but otherwise use it as a sanctuary would not be bad. If we are talking about treating the unhoused as criminals then that's where I take issue.
- HideousKojima 3y ago
  Until they flood it/burn it down/convert it into a meth lab. People's problem isn't with the homeless in general, it's with the mentally ill and/or drug addicted ones that shit on public transit/street corners and accost strangers and turn public parks into open air heroin dens. Free housing won't help this sort of homeless.
  - CapstanRoller 3y ago
    There are tons of marginally-housed people who are just normal folks who couldn't afford rising rents. You just don't see them because they tend to stay in cars, motels, or couch surf. The people you mention are a tiny visible minority.
Cheer2171 3y ago
In California, it costs over $106k/year to house each inmate. About half of that go to paying prison guards and admin. Those are 2021-2 numbers, it is certainly much higher now. Imagine what else could be done with that money. https://lao.ca.gov/policyareas/cj/6_cj_inmatecost https://lao.ca.gov/policyareas/cj/6_cj_inmatecost
- seanmcdirmid 3y ago
  It costs about $100k to deal with each unhoused person up here in Seattle. Pretty competitive with incarceration costs.

The thought of fining or even jailing the homeless just for being homeless scares me. It's a more like criminalizing the poor and it would be a total waste of taxpayers money.

CapstanRoller 3y ago

In the past, workhouses were used to "solve" this problem.

cogman10 3y ago

I agree. Why should my money go to a private prison to restrict an "unsightly" person when the same money could buy them a lot cheaper housing facilities? It costs a lot of tax payer money to throw people in jail (especially if it's a private prison). A more humane treatment of the homeless is also a benefit to the tax payer.

jncfhnb 3y ago
So if it were cheaper, what would you say
- cogman10 3y ago
  That we should choose the humane route, but I wouldn't raise cost as a reason why. If housing the homeless in prisons is cheap, then a program where they can come and go from a prison but otherwise use it as a sanctuary would not be bad. If we are talking about treating the unhoused as criminals then that's where I take issue.
HideousKojima 3y ago
Until they flood it/burn it down/convert it into a meth lab. People's problem isn't with the homeless in general, it's with the mentally ill and/or drug addicted ones that shit on public transit/street corners and accost strangers and turn public parks into open air heroin dens. Free housing won't help this sort of homeless.
- CapstanRoller 3y ago
  There are tons of marginally-housed people who are just normal folks who couldn't afford rising rents. You just don't see them because they tend to stay in cars, motels, or couch surf. The people you mention are a tiny visible minority.

Cheer2171 3y ago

In California, it costs over $106k/year to house each inmate. About half of that go to paying prison guards and admin. Those are 2021-2 numbers, it is certainly much higher now. Imagine what else could be done with that money. https://lao.ca.gov/policyareas/cj/6_cj_inmatecost https://lao.ca.gov/policyareas/cj/6_cj_inmatecost

seanmcdirmid 3y ago
It costs about $100k to deal with each unhoused person up here in Seattle. Pretty competitive with incarceration costs.