Supreme Court Considers Letting Cities Punish Homeless for Sleeping Outside from mental ba Watch Video

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✓ Published: 23-Apr-2024

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Supreme Court Considers Letting Cities , Punish Homeless for Sleeping Outside.<br/>On April 22, the Supreme Court will hear a case out of Grants Pass, Oregon, which has a population of less than 40,000, NPR reports. .<br/>'Grants Pass v. Johnson' seeks to challenge two <br/>9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rulings which found fining or jailing the unhoused to be cruel and unusual punishment when they have no other alternative.<br/>'Grants Pass v. Johnson' seeks to challenge two <br/>9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rulings which found fining or jailing the unhoused to be cruel and unusual punishment when they have no other alternative.<br/>But Grants Pass argues that public health and safety are dependent on camping restrictions that are commonly found across America. .<br/>The city contends that homeless encampments pose a danger to those living <br/>in them, as well as to families and children.<br/>This is because the encampments <br/>are often filled with people who need <br/>mental health and drug addiction resources.<br/>Advocates for the unhoused say that criminalizing sleeping outside is counterproductive. .<br/>Punishing someone for doing <br/>something they have no control <br/>over, no ability to not do, is not <br/>going to end that status. In fact, <br/>not only does criminalization not <br/>work, it makes matters worse. , Ed Johnson of the Oregon Law Center, via NPR.<br/>A criminal record and debt from fines would make it even more difficult for a homeless person to find housing, says Ed Johnson of the Oregon Law Center.<br/>But many cities don't have <br/>enough permanent housing to offer.<br/>Grants pass could use about 4,000 more housing units, while the national <br/>\