Calls For ‘Cruel’ And ‘Antiquated’ Vagrancy Act To Be Scrapped

Campaigners and cross-party MPs are calling for the Government to scrap an “antiquated” law that the Housing Secretary six months ago said should be abolished. Robert Jenrick told Parliament in February that the Vagrancy Act’s “time has been and gone” and the “antiquated” law should be “consigned to history”. The 19th-century law criminalises people for rough sleeping or begging, with anyone prosecuted facing a fine of up to £1,000 and a criminal record. Critics say the “cruel” law drives vulnerable people further away from support, and people should not be punished for being homeless. Last year there were 573 Vagrancy Act prosecutions in England and Wales. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-08-24/calls-for-cruel-and-antiquated-vagrancy-act-to-be-scrapped

No Immediate Repeal Of The Vagrancy Act

A repeal of the Vagrancy Act won’t happen right away despite growing evidence of the wider public thinking the arrest of rough sleepers is a waste of time. During a Lords debate on homelessness, MHCLG minister Viscount Younger of Leckie said the Government believes an on-going review of the Act rather than “immediate wholesale repeal” is the right course of action – to ensure that the consequences of a repeal are fully understood. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/no-immediate-repeal-of-the-vagrancy-act-despite-rising-opposition/

Calls For 195-Year-Old Vagrancy Act To Be Scrapped

A leading homelessness charity, police and politicians are calling on the government to scrap a 195-year-old law that criminalises homeless people for rough sleeping and begging in England and Wales. A report by Crisis, backed by MPs and police representatives, outlines the case for repealing the 1824 Vagrancy Act, which critics warn makes poverty a crime and pushes rough sleepers away from help. The act hit the headlines when the head of Windsor council suggested police use the law to clear “an epidemic of rough sleeping and vagrancy in Windsor” ahead of last year’s royal wedding. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/19/calls-for-195-year-old-vagrancy-act-scrapped-homeless

Rough Sleepers Being Arrested By Police Under 194-Year-Old Law

Homeless people sleeping rough in Bristol are still being arrested and detained by police officers using an almost 200-year-old law. 10 people in the last two years were apprehended under the Vagrancy Act of 1824, according to a Freedom of Information request. This is despite repeated calls by MPs, academics, charities and the public to scrap the law. Its use by police has been slammed in recent years by groups who say it criminalises beggars. Agencies have called the police’s use of the law “ridiculous” and “shambolic” particularly after it was discovered eight people between 2016 and 2017 had been arrested under the act. Read more on the Bristol Live website.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/rough-sleepers-being-arrested-police-2829146