(The Center Square) – A group of Wisconsin lawmakers are working to add homeless shelters to a list of sites where drug dealing charges will be enhanced by adding up to five years to the maximum term of imprisonment.
Wisconsin currently enhances drug delivery, distribution and intent to distribute charges within 1,000 feet of a park, jail, multi-family housing project, public swimming pool, youth or community center or alcohol/drug abuse treatment center.
Senate Bill 610 would add homeless shelters to that list.
“Homeless shelters serve some of the most vulnerable Wisconsinites including men, women, and children who rely on these facilities for safety, stability, and a path toward recovery or independence. Unfortunately, shelters can become prime targets for drug dealers seeking to prey on that perceived vulnerability,” said Sen. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield, a sponsor of the bill.
The American Civil Liberties Union lobbied against the bill and wrote a letter opposing it for the bill’s public hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, saying “In densely populated urban areas, a 1000-foot radius around these enumerated locations often overlaps to the point where an entire city becomes a ‘drug-free zone.’”
The bill will next head to a vote in the Senate committee before reaching the full Senate.
The ACLU said that these enhancements have not proven to deter drug activity in areas around homeless shelters.
“While this bill has a laudable goal—protecting vulnerable individuals seeking shelter and other services from homeless service providers—we have concerns about the unintended consequences of this proposal that diverge from this goal,” the group wrote.
