Personal Blogs

Sharon Hartles - The Open University - Harm and Evidence Research Collaborative (HERC) - Homelessness beyond criminalisation: Surviving in a global pandemic

Friday, 22 Jan 2021, 23:45

Visible to anyone in the world

Edited by Sharon Hartles, Saturday, 20 Feb 2021, 15:15

Homelessness beyond criminalisation: Surviving in a global pandemic

Published by: The Open University - The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) - Department of Social Policy & Criminology (OUSocPolCrim) - Harm and Evidence Research Collaborative (HERC)

http://www.open.ac.uk/researchcentres/herc/blog/homelessness-beyond-criminalisation-surviving-global-pandemic (20.01.2021)

Homelessness beyond criminalisation: Surviving in a global pandemic

Published by: The Open University - The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) - Department of Social Policy & Criminology (OUSocPolCrim) - Harm and Evidence Research Collaborative (HERC)

https://oucriminology.wordpress.com/2021/01/20/homelessness-beyond-criminalisation-surviving-in-a-global-pandemic/ (20.01.2021)

Permalink

Comments

Saturday, 23 Jan 2021, 10:00

by Barry Garwood

New comment

Hi Sharon

Thanks for posting this. Another excellent article on the plight of the homeless.

I wasn't even aware that the Government had pulled the plug on the 'Everyone in' support programme. This had a really positive effect on many rough sleepers, being given accomodation they could actually live in. They often find it difficult dealing with the kind of regime required by charitable organisations offering hostel accomodation.

Pulling the plug on it with winter approaching and the pandemic still raging strikes me as inhumane, yet not particularly surprising given their record.

Keep up the good work.

Barry

Saturday, 23 Jan 2021, 12:36

by Sharon Hartles

Thank you Barry

Hello Barry,

Thank you for taking the time to read my latest article and leaving a comment. It is always great to receive kind responses from those who have engaged with my work.

The point you mention is one of the reasons why I wrote this piece. So much happened in 2020, and I find it is always the most vulnerable - invisible - hidden - members of our communities who suffer.

Barry, please do also consider leaving your comment on here:

https://oucriminology.wordpress.com/2021/01/20/homelessness-beyond-criminalisation-surviving-in-a-global-pandemic/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

p.s - Thank you also for your comments (you left on this site) in relation to my articles on 'Bhopal' and 'The criminalisation of homelessness' - they did not go unnoticed.

'Your writing is spot on. The Bhopal article is another excellent insight into a terrible injustice. I thought your piece on criminalisation of the homeless was really good. Well done. Barry' (23.12.2019)

https://thebscblog.wordpress.com/2019/12/03/bhopal-state-corporate-crime/

https://oucriminology.wordpress.com/2018/10/29/the-punitive-shift-towards-the-criminalisation-of-homelessness/

https://thebscblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/22/the-punitive-shift-towards-the-criminalisation-of-homelessness/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With warm regards,

Sharon

Saturday, 23 Jan 2021, 19:44

by Casper Smith

New comment

Well, its good to see the arrest rate dropping and a new bill being introduced.

Saturday, 23 Jan 2021, 21:20

by Sharon Hartles

Thank you Casper

Hello Casper,

Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my latest article.

Yes, it is good that the prosecution rates for begging have generally declined. However, the Vagrancy Act 1824 should never have been resurrected in the first place. And yes the Vagrancy (Repeal) Bill 2019-21 is long overdue. Its enactment into law is the only way to guarantee the Vagrancy Act 1824 is not used in the future. It is so important to raise awareness of how the law is enforced to cause unnecessary harms to vulnerable- at risk - members of our society.

With that noted, there are other measures in place which also cause harms to the homeless such as Public Space Protection Orders - as I referred to in my article which looked at 'The criminalisation of homelessness' - link below.

https://oucriminology.wordpress.com/2018/10/29/the-punitive-shift-towards-the-criminalisation-of-homelessness/

Warm regards

Sharon