Homeless and jailed 124 times gets chance to turn life around

Rosevelt Richardson has a chance because the Orlando Sentinel did a story about him and a judge cared enough to help instead of just sending him back to jail. This is a great story about what people can do when they care enough to help.

Homeless and jailed 124 times, Rosevelt Richardson now has new lease on life

Bianca Prieto

Sentinel Staff Writer

6:54 PM EDT, July 21, 2009


Rosevelt Richardson is behind bars for the 124th time but it looks as though it could be his last.

His revolving-door relationship with the Orange County Jail may be about to stop spinning.

In May, a judge ordered him to a work-release program where he may be able to learn skills that will help him get off the streets and land a job.

"By taking a few extra minutes, I wanted to see if there might be a way to help him break the cycle," said Circuit Judge Heather Higbee, who saw Richardson in her courtroom three times in three weeks. "As a judge you try to impart sentences that are appropriate and also, if possible, to come up with consequences that can help everyone."

Richardson has been booked into the jail more times in the last decade than anyone else. He's been arrested mostly for misdemeanor crimes, such as panhandling, open-container violations or loitering.

In May, the Orlando Sentinel featured Richardson in a story about frequent residents at the jail. The 59-year-old homeless man said then that he felt lost and wanted someone to give him a chance to get out of the rut he was in.
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Homeless and jailed 124 times, Rosevelt Richardson now has new lease on life