A criminal record never helped me improve my life. I gained no benefit from mine and, though some people may think “that’s the point,” that is exactly my point. No amount of jail or probation got me any closer to housing or employment. Quite the opposite. Trying to find a decent job or place to live becomes much harder when a background check marks you as a “poor fit.”
I know because I lived it.
Homeless. Unemployed. Criminal. In debt. Of all those labels, “criminal” was the one that kept me from housing, employment and programs designed to help. It was a burden both financially and psychologically.
The damage created by these issues cannot be remedied by the legal system. Police officers are not caseworkers, and attorneys are not therapists. They are simply not the right tools for the job.
Colorado’s homeless population continues to grow despite years of campsite sweeps, citations and enforcement efforts. You cannot punish someone out of poverty, and no amount of incarceration will change the policies that make it a crime to sleep in a tent.
The fact that these measures have been in place for years while homelessness continues to rise suggests they are not working. Yet the response remains largely the same: more tickets, more handcuffs and more criminal records that make it harder for people to get back on their feet.
I have no doubt many officers believe they are helping their communities. But homelessness is a housing and economic problem. Treating it primarily as a law-enforcement problem only makes the crisis worse.
Antonio Espinoza
Durango
