Grants Pass Ruling Fuels a Surge in Arrests, Trapping People in a Costly Cycle of Criminalization and Homelessness
As criminalization efforts continue to increase across California and nationwide, the jails are filling up. Now, nearly one-third of people entering Sacramento County’s jails are unhoused people brought in off the streets.
The latest Sacramento County Department of Health Services data show that between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, 10,548 bookings involved someone who was homeless. During that time, an average of 838 homeless individuals were held in jail each month.
Encampment sweeps are sweeping people directly into jail, causing destabilization that makes them more and more likely to be rearrested. It’s a vicious cycle that comes at a high cost for both the individuals caught up in it and the county itself.
Police Forces Empowered After Grants Pass Decision
There has been a noticeable increase in the number of people arrested for homeless-related offenses such as overnight camping or storing personal possessions in public spaces ever since the Supreme Court overturned the decision ruling that this kind of criminalization constituted cruel and unusual punishment. Police forces have wasted no time in exercising their full power…