Reasons Why The Homeless Should Not Be Criminalized

The Homeless Should Not Be Criminalized

Homelessness has been a worldwide issue for countless years and does not seem to be coming to an end anytime soon. It is much more than not having a home. It has physical, mental and emotional effects on the individual(s) without a home, and on their friends and family. Homeless people should not be criminalized due to the fact that they suffer enough without being put behind bars. Numerous people may argue that the homeless deserve to be jailed. They claim that if they are kept in a cell rather than being on the streets, they will not be able to solicit. This is not an appropriate solution because they will continue asking for help in order to survive once they are released. They, like any other human being, have hardships, often with negative effects. In a myriad of cases, their troubles land them a spot on the streets, and because of this, they do what anyone would do in a similar situation, they do their best to stay alive.

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For example, some homeless are not to blame in that their parents were homeless and they were born into it. If all homeless people were to be criminalized, a large portion of them would be innocent and suffer an even greater deal than they were already suffering. We all give rise to mistakes, and unfortunately, the mistakes of the homeless have much more troubling consequences. In her book, The Homeless Opposing Viewpoints, Tamara Roleff maintains that “homelessness is not a condition; it is an outcome of mental illness, drug abuse, alcoholism, disability, chronic illness and just plain hard times”(31). In other words, Roleff believes that often times, he circumstances homeless people face is out of their control. One major problem that often leads to homelessness is health