Boise • Cities can’t prosecute people for sleeping on the streets if they have nowhere else to go, because such sanctions amount to cruel and unusual punishment, which is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court said Tuesday.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with six homeless people from Boise who sued the city in 2009 over a local ordinance that banned sleeping in public spaces. The ruling could affect several similar laws in cities across the West.
It comes as many places across the West Coast are struggling with homelessness brought on by rising housing costs and income inequality.