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June 30, 2020

Cities try to arrest their way out of homeless problems

  • Laws that target the homeless create a cycle of arrests, hearings and unpaid fines that make emerging from homelessness all the more difficult.
    • By RYAN E. LITTLE, GINA SCALPONE, NICK McCOOL, THERESA DIFFENDAL, ZACK DEMARS, ANEU
    Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

    FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. — In the nine years he has been homeless, Kenneth Shultz has spent one of every three nights in jail.

    The 71-year-old retiree has been charged with trespassing 96 times, including after he fell asleep behind gas stations, outside office buildings and in a city park. His 1,034 days in jail have come with a crushing debt of $41,311 in court costs, fines and fees and an estimated taxpayer tab of nearly $50,000.


     
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