What does the court or Society do about a man who has been arrested 74 times in two years?

“Cincinnati Man Jailed 74 Times in Two Years” – no, that is not a misprint. That is 74 times. I had to take a second look at the headline as well. Douglas Robinson’s 74th arrest resulted in the maximum 90-day jail sentence on charges of solicitation and possession of illegal drugs. The previous 73 arrests, accounting for 153 charges, have been mostly for panhandling, trespassing and occasionally resisting arrest. Robinson, who is 50 years old according to the newspaper report, has a criminal history which dates back to spring, 2008, when he was kicked out of a homeless shelter after being accused of theft. Social service agencies in the area want to help him.

An interesting quote from Hamilton County’s director of pretrial services, Wendy Niehaus, “The sheriff has to prioritize. Is it Douglas that he keeps? Or is the person charged with aggravated robbery? That’s the bottom line.”

That is the bottom line. Sheriff Leis has to close 800 jail beds because tax increases for a new jail have been rejected twice. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, “Last year more than 20,000 inmates were released because of overcrowding.”

I can not prove this, but I would suspect that none of Douglas Robinson’s crimes have been heinous or violent, or have caused serious injury or death. Some may argue he allows himself to be arrested and convicted because it gives me “three hots and a cot.” I can not prove this either.
But there is a problem here. Or is there?