why not just go to jail/prison?

ive often thought about this.
not for myself cause i have never been that down and out.

i think about all the goings on in the world.
all the people in this country that are homeless and/or starving. cant get work for whatever reason. dont qualify for assistance for whatever reason.
especially if you have a medical condition and/or you are in a cold climate. that is a rough spot to be.
why not go to jail?
food there. place to sleep there. medical care there.

you know, commit some non violent victimless(or as close as possible) crime, federal preferably and get sent up the river for a year or 2.
how much worse could it be than starving and freezing on the street.

throw a cinder block through a bank window and go pop a squat behind the managers desk.

no more starving. no more freezing.
go to some minimum security federal joint...

i dont know.

just something i think about

a reply to: Mugly

Jail and prison are the worst. I would live in a box or under a bridge first!
Jail and prison are hell!!

a reply to: DEANORULES24

not saying its not but living in a box under a bridge is no picnic either.
easy to say that from a warm house.

few cold months with little to no food under a bridge in the winter and a cell in a federal spot might not seem too bad.

a reply to: Mugly

I actually thought about this once but the problem would be tat you would be in an enclosed enviroment with a load of psycopaths.

The only way to do it safely would be to do something that would put you in permanant solitary confinement.

a reply to: nonspecific

thats why i was thinking minimum security federal
thats a lot different than pelican island or attica
you know

I've contemplated why some people don't do that either, but then I thought that maybe a Psych ward would be a safer place, but then I thought, well if those aren't options for people, why don't more people just do this to help them?







It's free to make, (for the most part), and at least they would have something

a reply to: Mugly

I don't actually as I am from the UK and only know you prison system from tv and MSM horror stories!

At least on the outside tommorow may be better and you have a choice regarding your own destiny.

a reply to: Ghost147

I know from experience that a mental institution is not where anybody would want to be.

Regardless of there mental state.

a reply to: Mugly

It's done regularly . They call it "three squares and a cot."

a reply to: Ghost147

i would think when you are homeless, hungry, possibly sick that something that is almost free might as well be a million dollars.

also, dont you have to have someplace to put that?

not saying prison would be a good option but it is an option.

i think it would be an especially good option for people that have an illness.

my wifes step father died thursday. he had hep c.
my father died from hep c so i have been thinking about that

what if you had hep c and had to live under the bridge and couldnt get meds?
free(to the prisoner) medical in the joint.

a reply to: Greathouse

ive heard the term 3 hots and a cot but i always figured that saying was more about people that wound up going to jail and really didnt care versus someone that did something on purpose so they could go to jail

a reply to: Mugly

Coming from a country with free healthcare and assistance for the destitute I feel I may be in the wrong thread.

I cannot comprehend being in that situation sorry.

a reply to: Mugly

Maybe most people don't feel like potentially having a struggle snuggle with a 300lbs cellmate every night.

a reply to: Mugly

We are all trapped in a prison already. It is called humanity.

a reply to: Mugly

Man survived in The Wild for thousands of years. If he hadn't we wouldn't be here today.

There is nothing more precious than Freedom. Going to Gaol takes away that freedom. Plus, who would want to possibly turn into a junkie or maybe worse. That's what happens on the inside.

a reply to: alldaylong

i dont disagree but what happens when you have been homeless for any length of time
there are other risks.

you all may be right but i still think about it

a reply to: nonspecific


One in five of those surveyed said they had committed
'an imprisonable offence with the express purpose of
receiving a custodial sentence as a means of solving
their housing problems'.

A fifth of all homeless people have committed a crime to get off the streets

A fifth of homeless people have committed "imprisonable offences" to spend a night in the cells and more than a quarter of women rough sleepers took an "unwanted sexual partner" to escape their plight, new research out today shows.

Hidden Homelessness, a survey of more than 400 rough sleepers by Sheffield Hallam University, reveals the desperate steps taken by the homeless to find shelter.

A major homeless charity warns that these trends will become more pronounced as planned government cuts to benefits begin to hit frontline services.

Unwanted sex has become a way out of homelessness for many. One in seven men and 28% of women had spent a night – or longer – with an unwanted sexual partner to "accommodate themselves".

Others have ventured into prostitution, with almost a fifth of women taking up "sex work" because this offered an opportunity to spend the night off the streets.

Crime can play a big part in rough sleepers' lives. Nearly 30% admitted to committing a "minor crime such as shoplifting or anti-social behaviour" in the hope of being taken into custody for the night.

And a fifth of those questioned said they had avoided being given bail or committed "an imprisonable offence with the express purpose of receiving a custodial sentence as a means to resolving their housing problems".

The following is a big DUH!

"A team of researchers interviewed over 200 homeless youths in a study released last year, finding that persons who experienced physical abuse as children were almost twice as likely than non-abused children to be homeless as youths, to be arrested, and to be jailed. Researchers suggested that a history of abuse may contribute to future violent behavior and to the likelihood of abusing substances." - www.endhomelessness.org...-xtViko

Yeah, I think we all new this already.

Do some people do crime in order to do time?
Yes, some people do do this. However, I think
it should be stated that certain personalities
and temperaments more better suited for
State incarceration than others.

For some some percentage live behind bars
is candy sticks but for others it is pure torture.

This isn't a new concept. It's something that county jails see and deal with the most. When I worked as a deputy jailer, the same few people would be in jail for most of the winter and during rainy periods. A couple of them I'd seen so much that I got to know them a bit, listened to their stories and just talk for awhile. At any rate, they'd do something small like public intoxication or trespass and such to get locked up. During the winter, for a longer stay, they'd sometimes chuck a brick through a wind0w. All for a warm and dry place to sleep and some warm food. I hated seeing them in there, but when it's 10ºF outside, what are they really supposed to do?

a reply to: Mugly

Sure. Get a record ruin your reputation loose your freedom. Just for three hots and a cot.
Why not take an entry level job, work your way up and in the meantime go to a shelter and the soup kitchen until you can manage to feed yourself.
I don't believe you thought this through enough. There certainly are other choices besides under a bridge or in prison.

a reply to: EternalSolace

Chuck a brick through a window? Really. Like that doesn't sound like a plot from a 1960s tv show?