Murder at Chico State – Homeless Man Arrested + Cost to the Public

by Jack

A 55 year old woman was found on campus, brutally beaten to death in the early morning hours.  Police released scant details, however they said the suspect was arrested shortly after the grisly discovery.  Both suspect and victim were described as homeless people and not connected to the university.

The man arrested was believed to be in his late 20’s or early 30’s.   No further information was available as of this time.

Now consider this. . .

Cost of murder investigation and local detention:  $40-50K
Cost of trial:   $50-100K
Cost of prison incarceration:  $65K per year X 15 = $975K

Estimated total costs until release date:……   $1,100,000

After release – parole costs and assisted living and medical:    $275k-$750k

Total AVERAGE cost to taxpayers for 1 homicide:       $1.375M-1.5M

I believe this crime and all the subsequent costs was an avoidable consequence of Chico’s expanding homeless population.  Consider, if we had a vagrancy law again, which excludes those with mental illness:

Fewer arrests overall – majority of vagrants simply avoid CA due to tough law and a work program -  Cost savings hundreds of millions in money, lives and property.

Cost of running such a program:

Upon arrest for vagrancy- Court cost:  Minimal- $1000 per vagrant, paid back with public service, see below.

Cost of vagrant incarceration in county – Cost $45 a day, off set by public works cleanup  prisoner earns $75 a day working until all costs recovered.  Maximum jail time 1 year.

Vagrant release program:   Offered free bus ride back to family or home of origin – cost:  $50 – $300 per person, off set by future costs.

But, whatever numbers you want to use, higher or lower, you have to know a vagrancy law would be far better for society than without one and it would be far less expensive than what we have now.  Years ago, a very liberal USC threw out the old vagrancy laws that served us so well for over 150 years.  I think it would have been better if  had thrown out the old liberal justices!   Common sense and the public good  should win over legal technicality every time, but sadly it doesn’t.

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7 Responses to Murder at Chico State – Homeless Man Arrested + Cost to the Public

  1. Pie Guevara says:

    This is a good argument for bringing back public hanging.

  2. Post Scripts says:

    Cost for a good rope would be considerably cheaper than 1 day on death row.

    But, seriously, was a vagrancy law, loitering law or even the failure identify law while under detention and suspicious circumstances, such a horrible thing? I can guarantee you it did curb a lot of crime and it helped communities get rid of some chronic trouble-makers.

    If a person was illegally camping out in the city…busted and gone. If you found someone behind a commercial building late at night and he couldn’t give a good reason for being there… busted and gone. Vagrancy and loitering laws, properly applied, gave police just enough leverage to be a deterrence to those who would be predators, prowling the night looking for a score. The message to them was clear: Better go seek an easier target, because this state means business. Anymore this state means something for nothing and our door is always open.

  3. Harold says:

    And with a “Sanctuary State” mentality adopted by the loons of the left, it will only get worst until people harmfully affected by it finally get political active, both locally and State wide and start replacing anyone with elected status that supports these aimless bums.

    Post Scripts hit it on the head, we need strong and “ENFORCED” vagrancy laws.

    Pie may not be too far off either……

  4. Libby says:

    Nice try. But this is not a “vagrant” issue, it’s a domestic violence issue. Possession of a roof, or lack thereof, is wildly irrelevant.

  5. Post Scripts says:

    I’m pretty certain that a tiny house would not have been a deterrence for that brutal murder on campus. But, for those who believe that, there is nothing we can say that will change your mind.

    • Tina says:

      Tiny houses to solve the problem will only lead to a tiny addiction slum…not a net gain.

      Giving a home, even a tiny home, to people who are incapable of providing even the basics for themselves is a ridiculous waste of money…why would it solve their problem, which is not homelessness (an effect). It will not solve the basic problem of dysfunctional choices and behaviors.

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