I was wondering why they couldn't be "jailed" in some of the unoccupied fraudulently foreclosed upon homes that are now unoccupied (and being held as a bottom line asset by some bank if they aren't bulldozing them for other developments).
Launched in late 2010, the program aims to serve the unique needs of Boston’s homeless defendants, who often find themselves cycling through the court system for minor, nonviolent offenses, or in contempt for failing to respond to court summonses they often don’t receive because they’re living on the streets.
It’s a gentler form of justice, but no quick fix.
I would just like to take the time to remind you we are talking Massachusetts here. You know, the Democratic bastion of (alleged) liberalism.
Defendants like Kevin Craddock who volunteer for Homeless Court are required to make a yearlong commitment. During that time, they get mental health and substance abuse counseling and a bed at the Pine Street Inn, or, for those with more severe mental health or addiction issues, at Shattuck Hospital. Defendants without a high school diploma are offered tutoring and GED prep classes. All are required to brush up their job skills or learn new ones.
I don't want to knock the effort, but we toss how many trillions at wars and banks? We also have record inequality with the elite class completely out of touch and insulated from the rest of us in their echo-chamber of a world.
The payoff? Those who complete the program have their fines forgiven, minor records wiped clean, and current cases dismissed — as close to a fresh start as they are likely to get....
And it's back to the bricks.
During more than two decades on the bench, retired municipal court judge Maurice Richardson observed that more than 40 percent of adults who filter through Boston’s criminal courts for minor offenses are homeless or without stable homes....
Boston’s program is, admittedly, small. Since Boston Municipal Court Judge Kathleen Coffey began hearing cases in early 2011, 19 defendants — ages 19 to 66 — with 33 pending criminal cases have been through the program. Their violations range from drug possession to petty theft and public drunkenness. Almost all faced jail time, if not for their violations, then for missing court dates and not paying fines.
Just wondering when some Wall Street bankers are gonna see some of that.
Because there’s no direct funding for Boston’s Homeless Court, Coffey can only hold sessions when she can squeeze them into her judicial calendar, which means quarterly....
But it's "progress" (sigh).
--more--"
Homelessness is now a "lifestyle?"
That's a rough first bite of breakfast with my Boston Globe.
