Vagrancy (people)

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''See also vagrancy (biology) for an alternative use of the term.

A vagrant is a person, usually poor, without a home or regular work. A vagrant who is itinerant is called a vagabond, whereas urban vagrants are commonly called "street people". Some towns have shelters for vagrants, such as The Rescue Mission in Syracuse, New York.

Vagrancy is a crime in some European countries, but most of these laws have been abandoned. Laws against vagrancy in the United States have largely been invalidated as violative of the due process clauses of the U.S. Constitution. In legal terminology, a person that has income is not a vagrant, even if he/she is homeless.

External Links

[Encyclopædia Britannica Article on Vagrancy]

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