Vagrancy is a legal term for those without a home or means of support. Laws have punished vagrants, but modern treatment focuses on individual offenses. Punishments for vagrancy have varied throughout history. Recourse for those in this situation includes government and private shelters and job-finding assistance.
Vagrancy is a legal term that is used to refer to a state where you have no established home and no solid means to support yourself. An individual who lives that kind of lifestyle is called a “tramp”. Various laws have existed throughout history to punish vagrants, particularly when the individuals who practiced vagrancy were physically and mentally able to support themselves. The laws relating to vagrants, however, tended to be rather vague and often resulted in highly individualized and unfair treatment of vagrants. Modern treatment of the matter tends to punish individual offenses, such as loitering or aggressive begging, instead of generally living like a drifter.
Legal definitions of vagrancy vary substantially based on history and geographic location. Modern definitions generally define a vagrant as an individual without an established home or means of supporting himself whether or not he engages in other criminal or morally questionable acts. Traditionally, and in some modern legal systems, however, vagrancy refers to a state of livelihood through questionable means, such as gambling or prostitution, whether or not one has an established residence. The vague legal definitions mean that people engaged in a variety of socially objectionable acts could be prosecuted as “vagrants”.
Historically many different punishments have been used to punish vagrancy in its many forms. The goal of such punishment was generally to deter or prevent such persons from remaining in public view through painful physical punishments or through imprisonment. Most modern legal systems do not punish vagrancy as a crime in and of itself, but instead focus on particular offenses common to many vagrants, such as begging and loitering. Instead of arresting these people and making them consume government money in the legal system, however, many law enforcement officers simply encourage them to leave the area. Many of the vague laws referring to vagrants have been changed or removed due to unfairness and subjectivity.
Individuals who find themselves in a state of wandering against their will often have several possible sources of recourse to help them out of the unfavorable circumstances. Many places have government-run shelters for the homeless, for example. Some even offer job-finding assistance. Privately run institutions, especially churches, can also offer similar sources of help. Only those who truly want to change their life status actually benefit from such services, however, and those who choose to wander rarely seek help changing their lifestyle.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
