Pamela: policing visible poverty is a misguided, ineffective, and often discriminatory approach to public safety.
According to a study, prosecuting people for low-level crimes like public sleeping may actually increase the likelihood of future criminal behavior because criminal histories have collateral consequences.
Homelessness is a public need that requires services, not a nuisance that requires policing. Programs that provide supportive housing, case management, and behavioral health care show promise in breaking cycles of homelessness without the lasting harms of criminalization.
Yet almost every state has at least one law that bans people experiencing homelessness from panhandling, loitering, living in vehicles, or sharing food or water in public spaces. And right now, legislators are trying to expand those laws rather than address the root causes of homelessness. |
Homelessness should never be a criminal offense. That's why Vera works with local leaders, community partners, and system-impacted people to oppose harmful policies like California Senate Bill 1011.
This discriminatory legislation would have made it a crime to sit, lay, or stand on a street or sidewalk. Thanks to the support of people like you, Pamela, we successfully prevented it from passing.
As we await this critical Supreme Court decision, take a moment to learn what's at stake. Together, we can advance smart, effective, and humane policies across the country and build safer communities for everyone.
Thank you for reading,
Vera Institute of Justice |
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