California's New Vagrancy Laws: The Growing Enactment and Enforcement of Anti-Homeless Laws in the Golden State (2016 Update)

13 Pages Posted: 24 Jun 2016

See all articles by Jeffrey Selbin

Jeffrey Selbin

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law

Stephanie Campos-Bui

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law

Sasha Feldstein

University of California, Berkeley, The Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy, Students

Marina Fisher

University of California, Berkeley, The Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy, Students

Nathaniel Miller

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, Students

Date Written: June 11, 2016

Abstract

This report updates our 2015 study on the enactment and enforcement of anti-homeless laws in California (http://ssrn.com/abstract=2558944) with new ordinance data from cities and updated arrest data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program. We find that California cities are enacting and enforcing anti-homeless laws in record numbers. In contrast with historical post-recession trends, arrests of people who are homeless continue to rise in spite of an improving economy. Further, cities appear to be arresting people increasingly based on their homeless status as opposed to any concrete unlawful behavior.

Keywords: homeless, criminalization, vagrancy, Jim Crow, anti-Okie, ugly laws, black codes

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Suggested Citation

Selbin, Jeffrey and Campos-Bui, Stephanie and Feldstein, Sasha and Fisher, Marina and Miller, Nathaniel, California's New Vagrancy Laws: The Growing Enactment and Enforcement of Anti-Homeless Laws in the Golden State (2016 Update) (June 11, 2016). UC Berkeley Public Law Research Paper No. 2794386, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2794386 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2794386

Jeffrey Selbin (Contact Author)

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law ( email )

215 Law Building
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
United States

Stephanie Campos-Bui

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law ( email )

215 Law Building
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
United States

Sasha Feldstein

University of California, Berkeley, The Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy, Students ( email )

Berkeley, CA
United States

Marina Fisher

University of California, Berkeley, The Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy, Students ( email )

Berkeley, CA
United States

Nathaniel Miller

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, Students ( email )

Berkeley, CA
United States

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