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The number of times this outmoded legislation has been used has trebled in recent times
If you believe we live in a society that has moved away from a Napoleonic mode of thinking, then think again. The Vagrancy Act is alive and well, almost 200 years after it was enshrined in our law, and it's being used today to penalise some of the most socially excluded groups in our society.
You'd think issues as complex as homelessness and street crime would need one of the most up-to-date pieces of legislation in our legal system, but, it turns out, thousands of people are being charged and convicted with the 200-year-old law every year. More frightening still, the number of times the vagrancy act has been used has tripled in recent times.
In 1990, 1,478 people in England and Wales were found guilty under the act, and 90 per cent of those were charged. That figure fell off towards the mid-1990s, and stood at just over 1,000 in 1995. But, since then, the number of times the act has been used against people in England and Wales has shot up. In 1996, the figure was above 1,500. In 1999, more than 2,000 people were found guilty under the 200- year-old law. By 2000 that had reached 2,776. By 2003, more than 3,200 people were found guilty under the vagrancy act - almost three times as many as a decade before. This government has clearly grown fond of the legislation since it came to power. Its heart, perhaps, is in the right place.
Some argue that the law is used to target those in need of help and get them into rehabilitation programmes. For example, the link between begging and specified class-A drug misuse is very strong. One study estimated that between 75 per cent and 90 per cent of beggars use Class A drugs - primarily heroin. The government is desperate to untangle the relationship between drugs and street crime, and those charged under the Vagrancy Act can sometimes find themselves fast-tracked into rehabilitation centres and drug counselling. In Brighton, two years ago, the deaths of 49 beggars from overdoses led to a huge anti-begging campaign. If those who beg because of their drug misuse are helped to access effective treatment, it will help them and the communities affected by their antisocial behaviour.
But rather than criminalising these vulnerable groups with a piece of ancient legislation - one designed for another society than ours - the government must pass new legislation and set its stall out clearly on the subject of homelessness, and the subcategories of street crime and drug use. Support must be immediate and directly accessible based on an individual need, rather than criminal status.
There is already existing legislation to deal with aggressive or threatening behaviour in public spaces, under the Public Order Act 1995, so why use this Dickensian law?
You'd think issues as complex as homelessness and street crime would need one of the most up-to-date pieces of legislation in our legal system, but, it turns out, thousands of people are being charged and convicted with the 200-year-old law every year. More frightening still, the number of times the vagrancy act has been used has tripled in recent times.
In 1990, 1,478 people in England and Wales were found guilty under the act, and 90 per cent of those were charged. That figure fell off towards the mid-1990s, and stood at just over 1,000 in 1995. But, since then, the number of times the act has been used against people in England and Wales has shot up. In 1996, the figure was above 1,500. In 1999, more than 2,000 people were found guilty under the 200- year-old law. By 2000 that had reached 2,776. By 2003, more than 3,200 people were found guilty under the vagrancy act - almost three times as many as a decade before. This government has clearly grown fond of the legislation since it came to power. Its heart, perhaps, is in the right place.
Some argue that the law is used to target those in need of help and get them into rehabilitation programmes. For example, the link between begging and specified class-A drug misuse is very strong. One study estimated that between 75 per cent and 90 per cent of beggars use Class A drugs - primarily heroin. The government is desperate to untangle the relationship between drugs and street crime, and those charged under the Vagrancy Act can sometimes find themselves fast-tracked into rehabilitation centres and drug counselling. In Brighton, two years ago, the deaths of 49 beggars from overdoses led to a huge anti-begging campaign. If those who beg because of their drug misuse are helped to access effective treatment, it will help them and the communities affected by their antisocial behaviour.
But rather than criminalising these vulnerable groups with a piece of ancient legislation - one designed for another society than ours - the government must pass new legislation and set its stall out clearly on the subject of homelessness, and the subcategories of street crime and drug use. Support must be immediate and directly accessible based on an individual need, rather than criminal status.
There is already existing legislation to deal with aggressive or threatening behaviour in public spaces, under the Public Order Act 1995, so why use this Dickensian law?
October – November 2024 : Change
CONTENTS
BACK ISSUES
- Issue 152 : October – November 2024 : Change
- Issue 151 : August – September 2024 : Being Heard
- Issue 150 : June – July 2024 : Reflections
- Issue 149 : April – May 2024 : Compassion
- Issue 148 : February – March 2024 : The little things
- Issue 147 : December 2023 – January 2024 : Next steps
- Issue 146 : October 2023 – November 2023 : Kind acts
- Issue 145 : August 2023 – September 2023 : Mental health
- Issue 144 : June 2023 – July 2023 : Community
- Issue 143 : April 2023 - May 2023 : Hope springs
- Issue 142 : February 2023 - March 2023 : New Beginnings
- Issue 141 : December 2022 - January 2023 : Winter Homeless
- Issue 140 : October - November 2022 : Resolve
- Issue 139 : August - September 2022 : Creativity
- Issue 138 : June - July 2022 : Practical advice
- Issue 137 : April - May 2022 : Connection
- Issue 136 : February - March 2022 : RESPECT
- Issue 135 : Dec 2021 - Jan 2022 : OPPORTUNITY
- Issue 134 : September-October 2021 : Losses and gains
- Issue 133 : July-August 2021 : Know Your Rights
- Issue 132 : May-June 2021 : Access to Healthcare
- Issue 131 : Mar-Apr 2021 : SOLUTIONS
- Issue 130 : Jan-Feb 2021 : CHANGE
- Issue 129 : Nov-Dec 2020 : UNBELIEVABLE
- Issue 128 : Sep-Oct 2020 : COPING
- Issue 127 : Jul-Aug 2020 : HOPE
- Issue 126 : Health & Wellbeing in a Crisis
- Issue 125 : Mar-Apr 2020 : MOVING ON
- Issue 124 : Jan-Feb 2020 : STREET FOOD
- Issue 123 : Nov-Dec 2019 : HOSTELS
- Issue 122 : Sep 2019 : DEATH ON THE STREETS
- Issue 121 : July-Aug 2019 : INVISIBLE YOUTH
- Issue 120 : May-June 2019 : RECOVERY
- Issue 119 : Mar-Apr 2019 : WELLBEING
- Issue 118 : Jan-Feb 2019 : WORKING HOMELESS
- Issue 117 : Nov-Dec 2018 : HER STORY
- Issue 116 : Sept-Oct 2018 : TOILET TALK
- Issue 115 : July-Aug 2018 : HIDDEN HOMELESS
- Issue 114 : May-Jun 2018 : REBUILD YOUR LIFE
- Issue 113 : Mar–Apr 2018 : REMEMBRANCE
- Issue 112 : Jan-Feb 2018
- Issue 111 : Nov-Dec 2017
- Issue 110 : Sept-Oct 2017
- Issue 109 : July-Aug 2017
- Issue 108 : Apr-May 2017
- Issue 107 : Feb-Mar 2017
- Issue 106 : Dec 2016 - Jan 2017
- Issue 105 : Oct-Nov 2016
- Issue 104 : Aug-Sept 2016
- Issue 103 : May-June 2016
- Issue 102 : Mar-Apr 2016
- Issue 101 : Jan-Feb 2016
- Issue 100 : Nov-Dec 2015
- Issue 99 : Sept-Oct 2015
- Issue 98 : July-Aug 2015
- Issue 97 : May-Jun 2015
- Issue 96 : April 2015 [Mini Issue]
- Issue 95 : March 2015
- Issue 94 : February 2015
- Issue 93 : December 2014
- Issue 92 : November 2014
- Issue 91 : October 2014
- Issue 90 : September 2014
- Issue 89 : July 2014
- Issue 88 : June 2014
- Issue 87 : May 2014
- Issue 86 : April 2014
- Issue 85 : March 2014
- Issue 84 : February 2014
- Issue 83 : December 2013
- Issue 82 : November 2013
- Issue 81 : October 2013
- Issue 80 : September 2013
- Issue 79 : June 2013
- Issue 78 : 78
- Issue 77 : 77
- Issue 76 : 76
- Issue 75 : 75
- Issue 74 : 74
- Issue 73 : 73
- Issue 72 : 72
- Issue 71 : 71
- Issue 70 : 70
- Issue 69 : 69
- Issue 68 : 68
- Issue 67 : 67
- Issue 66 : 66
- Issue 65 : 65
- Issue 64 : 64
- Issue 63 : 63
- Issue 62 : 62
- Issue 61 : 61
- Issue 60 : 60
- Issue 59 : 59
- Issue 58 : 58
- Issue 57 : 57
- Issue 56 : 56
- Issue 56 : 56
- Issue 55 : 55
- Issue 54 : 54
- Issue 53 : 53
- Issue 52 : 52
- Issue 51 : 51
- Issue 50 : 50
- Issue 49 : 49
- Issue 48 : 48
- Issue 47 : 47
- Issue 46 : 46
- Issue 45 : 45
- Issue 44 : 44
- Issue 43 : 43
- Issue 42 : 42
- Issue 5 : 05
- Issue 4 : 04
- Issue 2 : 02
- Issue 1 : 01
- Issue 41 : 41
- Issue 40 : 40
- Issue 39 : 39
- Issue 38 : 38
- Issue 37 : 37
- Issue 36 : 36
- Issue 35 : 35
- Issue 34 : 34
- Issue 33 : 33
- Issue 10 : 10
- Issue 9 : 09
- Issue 6 : 06
- Issue 3 : 03
- Issue 32 : 32
- Issue 31 : 31
- Issue 30 : 30
- Issue 29 : 29
- Issue 11 : 11
- Issue 12 : 12
- Issue 13 : 13
- Issue 14 : 14
- Issue 15 : 15
- Issue 16 : 16
- Issue 17 : 17
- Issue 18 : 18
- Issue 19 : 19
- Issue 20 : 20
- Issue 21 : 21
- Issue 22 : 22
- Issue 23 : 23
- Issue 24 : 24
- Issue 25 : 25
- Issue 8 : 08
- Issue 7 : 07
- Issue 26 : 26
- Issue 27 : 27
- Issue 28 : 28
- Issue 1 : 01