Rough slumbering to be decriminalised in England and Wales

Rough slumbering can be decriminalised subsequent 12 months below executive plans to scrap a 200-year-old legislation.

Ministers are making plans to scrap the Vagrancy Act, which outlaws tough slumbering in England and Wales.

The legislation used to be presented in 1824 to maintain emerging homelessness, however Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has known as it “cruel and outdated”.

The executive’s plan contains new regulation which is able to goal crimes corresponding to organised begging through gangs and trespassing, a commentary mentioned.

Rayner, who could also be housing secretary, mentioned Labour used to be “drawing a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society”.

“No one should ever be criminalised simply for sleeping rough and by scrapping this cruel and outdated law, we are making sure that can never happen again,” she mentioned.

The choice of prosecutions and convictions below the 1824 act has declined during the last decade.

According to executive statistics, there have been a complete of 79 prosecutions and 59 convictions for offences associated with tough slumbering in 2023 – down from a height of 1,050 and 810 respectively in 2011.

Repealing the Vagrancy Act used to be first introduced in 2022 through the former Conservative executive. It had sought after to go selection regulation first, however this didn’t occur prior to the overall election used to be known as closing 12 months.

The birthday celebration’s Criminal Justice Bill would have allowed police to transport on “nuisance” tough sleepers and nice them if they didn’t comply.

The Labour executive mentioned it plans to switch the Vagrancy Act with “targeted measures” that can “ensure police have the powers they need to keep communities safe”.

These measures, which can be presented via amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, will come with new offences of facilitating begging for acquire and trespassing with the purpose of committing a criminal offense.

Homeless charities have lengthy known as for the Vagrancy Act to be scrapped.

Crisis leader govt Matt Downie mentioned: “This is a landmark moment that will change lives and prevent thousands of people from being pushed into the shadows, away from safety.”

He praised the federal government for having “shown such principled leadership in scrapping this pernicious Act”.

He mentioned: “We hope this signals a completely different approach to helping people forced onto the streets and clears the way for a positive agenda that is about supporting people who desperately want to move on in life and fulfil their potential.”