If you are homeless.. Why not go to prison?

[elmarko]

Ow I completely agree elmarko, but I'm typing on an iPad and didn't want to write out an entire doctorate on how one gets to homelessness. In Liverpool (went to uni there) a lot of the homelessness were either drug addicts or as you describe. for sure I over simplified it.

Certainly mental illness has a massive factor and one I was briefly trying to describe in a very simple way in the "life style choices".

Fair enough - I do the same when posting on the mobile!.

In general I tend to avoid the use of terms like choices/life-style decisions are it's usually coupled with an aspect of blame not really productive for this kind of social problem.

I much prefer to talk about the causal factors or potential solutions.

Thanks for the informed responses. I do appreciate everyone who is homeless isn't in the same boat. However I wasnt aware of the proportion who would refuse help was as high as it appears. Of course it seems higher than it is as you notice it.

I wasn't aware of how much it did happen.

It should be expected really, as the kind of traits required to refuse help or lacking the ability to find help (which is available) to get out of homelessness will be the exact same traits common to those who end up homeless.

If they were fully able mentally to accept the help out there & improve their lot, I doubt many would have ended up homeless - they simply lack the ability to help themselves (for one reason or another - be that mental illness, drug addiction, learned helplessness, historic abuse - along with many I may have missed).

 

[robgmun]

A fair number do.

This,

 

[413x]

I'm in my mobile too, will respond properly later

 

[anything I don't mind]

If i was homeless i would squatt a house. Problem solved.

 

[thep02]

Because, from my television informed view of prisons (and I'm thinking more Sons of Anarchy then Porridge) there would be a bit too much bumming for my liking...

Not so much in a UK prison, plenty of protection, slavery, taxing and beating though.

 

[4T5]

Because in prison you could get beaten/ killed/ raped, you'll also have to work and any drug/ alcohol problems you'll have to do disturbing things to feed them.

Prison isn't some fairytale place like the newspapers will tell you, it's no concentration camp but far from pleasant, all prisons are overcrowded and containing truly nasty pieces of work.

Do you really believe what you have wrote or is this some kind of GD Ironing I'm missing ?

 

[RoyMi6]

Have to admit that if I was homeless I'd consider this - probably very naive but hey.

But yeah, for me to be homeless I'd probably need all my extended family to be dead and all their homes to be unavailable to me. That's about 9 houses between 18 family members that I think I could reasonably stay with indefinitely if the only other option was being on the street.

I've also got 4 friends/couples that I could rely on to stay with long term - at least until I was back on my feet. Again, so they'd need to be dead.

At that point I'd literally have nothing to live for, or care for, and as such would either be on the verge of killing myself (before the serial killer that killed all my family and friends gets me!) or do something crazy that would put me in jail long term.

Because I've got nothing to loose I'd like to think I'd come up with a way to steal millions. This would have two benefits.

1) If I didn't get caught I would be sorted for life
2) If I did get caught I'd likely go to jail for a long time - so I'd be off the street

 

[Zethor]

Prison is a nasty place, particularly if you are weak/old like most homeless people. They don't want to go to prison because eating out of the garbage and sleeping under a brige is better than paying one/two of your daily meals for protection, being afraid to fall asleep and waking up in a cage.
The most hardened criminals get out of prison dreading the idea of ever going back and there are plenty of reasons for this.

 

[pitchfork]

Do you really believe what you have wrote or is this some kind of GD Ironing I'm missing ?

Well I've had friends with drug problems go to prison, I've visited prisons and my last girlfriend was a prison guard.

What qualifies you to comment on it except reading a 'news' paper. Prisons are desperate places full of violent criminals, with a social hierarchy ruled by the criminals.

How hard is it to understand?

 

[~>Dg<~]

WHERES YA TOOL !

 

[realBabelfish]

Do you really believe what you have wrote or is this some kind of GD Ironing I'm missing ?

seemed pretty accurate to me. its certainly not like the DM describe it.

personally i would rather be homeless and free. i would squat in any number of the empty buildings.

prisons are cold as hell anyway so its not providing that much warmth for you.

most homeless people you meet are alcoholics, so prison isnt the best place to be an alcoholic.

 

[Sliver]

Well I've had friends with drug problems go to prison, I've visited prisons and my last girlfriend was a prison guard.

What qualifies you to comment on it except reading a 'news' paper. Prisons are desperate places full of violent criminals, with a social hierarchy ruled by the criminals.

How hard is it to understand?

I think either he's trolling you, or like you have alluded to, he has no idea what he is talking about.

 

[marc2003]

What qualifies you to comment on it except reading a 'news' paper.

IIRC, 4T5 has plenty of first hand experience.

i've spent 5 weeks on remand in prison (only cat B admittedly, A is the worst) and i didn't see any trouble at all. anyone who comes in with addictions are pumped full of meds and walk round like zombies. from what i saw, they were harmless. i shared a cell with an alcoholic who came in on the same day as me and he was out for the count by 8pm each night because he couldn't stay awake later even if he wanted to.

prisons are cold as hell anyway so its not providing that much warmth for you.

i don't know where you got that idea from. my cell was lovely and warm and it was very cold outside. all cells on my block were shared between 2 except for 2 that could take 4 each. but they were taken out of use because they were too cold. there were obviously some regulations in place.

i heard summer could be stifling hot though.

 

[Leprechaun312]

There are usually places homeless people can go such as the simon community, in Bangor NI i think i have seen one homeless guy, (he wears the same unwashed and slightly torn clothes every day and walks around picking up rubbish and pennies) generally if you want off the streets there are places you can go to get housing and help. It also depends where you live, some places have more homeless people than others.

 

[jamesblade]

OP have you ever been sent to prison ?

I'm going to presume you haven't because only someone who has no experience of being there would ask a question like that......

But there are also people who have been to prison so many times they become institutionalised.. but that's a whole different situation.

 

[realBabelfish]

IIRC, 4T5 has plenty of first hand experience.

i've spent 5 weeks on remand in prison (only cat B admittedly, A is the worst) and i didn't see any trouble at all. anyone who comes in with addictions are pumped full of meds and walk round like zombies. from what i saw, they were harmless. i shared a cell with an alcoholic who came in on the same day as me and he was out for the count by 8pm each night because he couldn't stay awake later even if he wanted to.

i don't know where you got that idea from. my cell was lovely and warm and it was very cold outside. all cells on my block were shared between 2 except for 2 that could take 4 each. but they were taken out of use because they were too cold. there were obviously some regulations in place.

i heard summer could be stifling hot though.

HMP liverpool isnt very warm. plus a little blanket is all you get. well, was a few years ago. hull was a bit better.

many prisons are very different. time served in a new private prison is 10x easier than the old style victorian prisons. all liverpool has is the hot water pipe instead of radiators and stone walls/single glazing.

yeah, you can get the alcohol replacement pills/methadone etc.

 

[realBabelfish]

OP have you ever been sent to prison ?

I'm going to presume you haven't because only someone who has no experience of being there would ask a question like that......

But there are also people who have been to prison so many times they become institutionalised.. but that's a whole different situation.

agreed. i think if you have been in and out for years its not an issue to go back in for winter. i wouldnt imagine many who have never been locked up would go for it though.

 

[marc2003]

HMP liverpool isnt very warm. plus a little blanket is all you get. well, was a few years ago. hull was a bit better.

guess i was lucky then. you're right about the blankets. i'd freeze if that's all i had at home.

 

[.Lethal]

99.9% of homeless in Peterborough have been offered the help, support and accommodation that is required

Interesting figure you pulled out of your ass. So what happened to the .1%? Were they black people hiding in the dark??

 

[Schlong&Stable]

I always wondered why they stay in towns myself. If I was truly destitute, I'd probably head up the highlands and eke out an existence living off the land. Perhaps build myself a little camp deep in some woodland. Might be heck come winter, but a darn sight better than living in squalor in a town.