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

413x

413x

413x

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Or am I being naive?

I keep thinking about it when wandering Peterborough (yuck) that why don'tthese peo ple just go to prison? If I was homeless and knew I wouldn't be having a change in my lifewhy not just commit a crime and go?

UUnless my idea of prison is warped by media I would much rather be there than on a cold pavement

Ready to be flamed down
 
al4x said:
Or am I being naive?

I keep thinking about it when wandering Peterborough (yuck) that why don'tthese peo ple just go to prison? If I was homeless and knew I wouldn't be having a change in my lifewhy not just commit a crime and go?

UUnless my idea of prison is warped by media I would much rather be there than on a cold pavement

Ready to be flamed down
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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...
 
I do see where the OP is coming from.

If your life is that **** and you have nothing left, spending every night under a freezing cold bridge in the middle of winter, barely keeping yourself together, then prison seems almost like mecca. Commit a crime and spend a couple of years being being fed, clothed, with a warm bed etc. rehabilitation with support after your stint is over...
 
My mate is a policeman and he says that homeless people often commit crimes to get a night in the cells and a hot meal.
 
I've wondered this too. You have a guaranteed roof over your head and 3 meals a day. Surely that has to be better than spending your life on the streets?

I can think of few downsides apart from a criminal record but I'm not sure how you go from being homeless to being in a position where that would matter.
 
i'd rather go to prison as well. sleeping on the streets is hardly my idea of freedom. i suppose the obvious obstacle is what you do to gain admittance. :p
 
There are generally a few different types of homeless people.

Drug addict.
A life style choice (easier to run away and have no problems).
Those people who have Fallen on VERY hard times and slipped through the net for what ever reason.

For obvious reasons a drug addict wouldn't want to go to prison, for fear of not being able to chase the dragon.

The other two categories will sometimes try get arrested to spend the night in the cells, get a warm meal and bed for the night. The police know this tho. Take into considerations that the non smack head ones will have a moral compass so committing a big enough crime to get sent away for a while won't be on the cards, and I'd imagine being in prison long term is deffo not what they want, even if it means they get looked after.

And lastly the point of the lifestyle choice. These people are running away from something, they don't want to have to face problems/etc. There are charities to offer help, systems etc to get them some form of fixed a abode, often they won't want it though, it means being sober/being a part of society.

In general, in England being homeless is a choice. We have a lot of safety nets and you gotta really want to not be helped to end up on the streets. For what ever reason that may be.

So in short

Yes some homeless people will commit petty crimes to get off the streets for a few nights when the weather or what ever is really bad. Long term prison (I.e. Committing a big crime) is off the cards for most homeless for the reasons above.
 
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99.9% of homeless in Peterborough have been offered the help, support and accommodation that is required, however they have turned it down; therefore if they're on the street it is a very high possibility that they have chosen to be there.

Cambs police are good at dealing with them and they aren't locked up as much as you may think.
 
This has been done during the Winter months for years & years, they still stink of **** even though they have clean prison clothes on & access to hot showers & a clean bed & cell.
 
Qitarah said:
In general, in England being homeless is a choice. We have a lot of safety nets and you gotta really want to not be helped to end up on the streets. For what ever reason that may be.
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It really isn't that simple.

You make the mistake in assuming everybody has the ability & belief that actions result in positive consequences - many in this kind of rough situation have lost the ability to help themselves, you are also ignoring the aspect of mental illness for a huge number of homeless (who again, lack the ability to help themselves).

It's entirely reasonable that the individual simply has lost the ability to make meaningful positive long term choices as a result of bad experiences - essentially given up on life.

Not making a positive choice for X doesn't give you the justification to assert they made an informed choice for Y.
 
Yer cambs, Cambridge in particular have some half way houses set up where homeless people can get a nights sleep/food/etc so resorting to petty crime to get locked up is pointless for them (The old church near graft on centre is a example).
 
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". I completely agree that next to being an addict, mental illness is probably the biggest reasons for homelessness, and is a massive reason for falling through the safety nets.
 
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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.
 
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.
 
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