I'll start off by saying that this is a hypothetical, open discussion. Everything is fine on my end, I'm curious what others view the topic.
If you are totally destitute and see no chance of things getting better, you see two options; going to prison or being homeless. Which would you choose?
Each have pros and cons. If anyone has experience in either situation please chime in.
Homelessness: For a short time in my early 20's I got to experience this. I met some people my age that showed me where a couple soup kitchens were, food bank, places to sleep. One soup kitchen was religious and you had to hear some christian talk, but the food was actually pretty good. Mostly I stayed awake until around 3am then went to the lobby of a bank where the ATM is and slept there. No one bothered me. Cops never called. I left when I saw someone come into the bank to work. I hung out at the library most of the day. Went online for an hour, browsed some books. I enjoyed the freedom.
Later on in my life I went to college, then ended up working there in the cafeteria. After class I would go study in the library. Sometimes I passed out at a table. No one did anything about it. At the time I had a shaggy beard, I was early 30's. Might have been mistaken for a homeless person. But no one gave me any trouble. The college had a workout room with showers. There was a handicap stall with a shower and a hospital bed. (I was thinking I would nap in the hospital bed if I were extremely tired).
The college was walking distance to a cafe that was open 24 hours. Sometimes I went there after work and read a book for hours on end. Just taxi drivers and a few cops came in and out. I figure I would hang out at these places routinely, and collect bottles and cans at night in residential areas for some cash.
Prison: I do not have any experience. I'm Canadian, so it's more lax here than US. Not sure about Europe. Chime in if you know.
Of course you need to factor in if it's High Security, medium or low.
You get free (shitty) food. Free bed. You can get your GED or take collage courses. You can work a job in prison and get very little pay so you can buy stuff like junk food or ramen.
Some things that I've heard from people that have spent time; There are unspoken rules in prison, like you piss on the rim of the toilet, you're wiping that up or your cell mate is going to kick you head in, or get someone else to do it. You have to do curtesy flushes when you're having a shit. In the cafeteria, everyone sits in the same place. You have to find an empty spot. If someone calls you out and you don't stand up for yourself, no one will ever talk to you again and will want nothing to do with you.
Depending on what you did to get there, just don't lie about it. Someone will know someone else who will find out how you got there.
So, for me, prison sounds pretty annoying. But you get fed and a place to sleep. I think a lot of homeless spend time looking for food, warmth and a place to sleep. But being homeless you are pretty free to spend your time as you like. No stupid rules, but you are looked down upon by society and will get flack for being homeless.