Homeless Man Under House Arrest In Italy Serves His Sentence On The Sidewalk

A 48-year-old man was placed under house arrest in Italy. The only problem is he doesn't have a home.

An Italian court sentenced Domenico Codispoti to house arrest following a series of arrests for crimes ranging from attempted robbery to drug dealing, local news outlets report. Though Codispoti doesn't have a residence, the court still opted to place the homeless man under house arrest on a particular section of sidewalk in Milan instead.

According to La Stampa, Italian police check on Codispoti every night after sundown to make sure he is tucked in on Via Vittor Pisani. He is expected to stay put until 7 a.m. the next morning.

Police do not directly monitor Codispoti at all hours of the night, however. In the past, he has been caught by patrolling officers when he ventured too far away.

The unusual punishment was first imposed on Codispoti in 2006, when he was sentenced to two years of surveillance and house arrest. Yet, after a few more run-ins with the law, Codispoti's sentence was extended. He must now sleep in that particular spot on the sidewalk near Milan's Central Station until April 2014.

Though Codispoti reportedly asked to be placed in jail, where there's at least a roof over his head, his request has been denied in favor of the alternative sentence. Codispoti's attorney Andrea D'Amicis is working to lift the measure, or at least get the homeless man into a shelter, daily newspaper ArticoloTre reports.