SANTA ANA, Calif. — In Department 49 of the Central Justice Center, Commissioner Joseph Dane sentenced several individuals to serve time for unlawful camping.
Across the United States, laws targeting homelessness — including sleeping outside, storing belongings in public spaces and camping — are enforced through citations, fines and jail time.
For example, during an arraignment hearing in this department on March 6, 2026, one accused individual was found to have violated felony probation by camping, sleeping or storing personal property within 20 feet of prohibited entrances or exits.
The accused failed to appear at this hearing and several other hearings since early November 2025. The accused now has a warrant due to these failures to appear.
In another case heard in Department 49, the accused was charged with petty theft — theft of less than $950 — from Pavilions on May 6, 2025.
On March 6, 2026, after being held in custody for nine months, he pleaded guilty to the charge. He also faced charges of unlawful camping and public drinking.
Commissioner Dane sentenced him to 30 days for the theft and 30 days for the unlawful camping and public drinking, to be served concurrently at half-time in the Orange County jail.
This case was assigned two deputy district attorneys, Summer Young and Blake Cushing, but no public defenders.
In yet another case in this department heard on March 6, the accused failed to appear. However, Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Soares spoke on his behalf. The accused is living on the streets and is unable to afford bail.
The commissioner set the accused’s trial for March 26 and released him, based on information provided by the public defender, despite his absence. Examples from the courtroom that day, along with various research findings, indicate that fining and criminalizing homelessness punishes survival activities rather than addressing the underlying causes of homelessness.
