I believe there should be enforced confinement of people who break laws repeatedly. However, it's crazy to put homeless people into jails.
If someone is clearly mentally ill, drug addicted, or otherwise incapable of taking care of themselves, and they violate minor laws repeatedly, something below a prison camp seems like the most appropriate option -- and I don't see why it needs to be in expensive real estate in the city.
A live/work camp wouldn't be break-even, but probably could support people for $10-15k/yr, which is much cheaper than prison or other services. Barring any other system to re-integrate people into society locally, I'd rather they be sent to camp rather than left in parks and permitted to violate laws indefinitely, or sent to jail/prison.
Since the crimes would be very minor, it wouldn't be "punishment" so much as just housing, so there's a lot of opportunity to make it both better for the participants and less expensive than any kind of prison incarceration.
That's the baseline; if private organizations want to provide them with something better, that's an option too, but there's a limit to what city/county/state government can do.
I think if you moved people out to an open facility like that, showed them the lifestyle available and then let them choose whether they would stay, you might see some success? Opportunities for them to find purpose in life, but no huge obligation to work bulk hours; shelter in an affordable region and style; support at-hand, but still the option of ignoring it and staying in control.
The interesting part would be making it non-selective; anyone who wanted to be there for a while could. Maybe some social pressure that rich/temporary people contribute cash or externally produced things.
If someone is clearly mentally ill, drug addicted, or otherwise incapable of taking care of themselves, and they violate minor laws repeatedly, something below a prison camp seems like the most appropriate option -- and I don't see why it needs to be in expensive real estate in the city.
A live/work camp wouldn't be break-even, but probably could support people for $10-15k/yr, which is much cheaper than prison or other services. Barring any other system to re-integrate people into society locally, I'd rather they be sent to camp rather than left in parks and permitted to violate laws indefinitely, or sent to jail/prison.
Since the crimes would be very minor, it wouldn't be "punishment" so much as just housing, so there's a lot of opportunity to make it both better for the participants and less expensive than any kind of prison incarceration.
That's the baseline; if private organizations want to provide them with something better, that's an option too, but there's a limit to what city/county/state government can do.