NCJ Number
101501
Journal
Criminal Law Bulletin Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: (May-June 1986) Pages: 263-274
Date Published
1986
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article reviews general policies and legal challenges pertaining to police control over the homeless.
Abstract
In considering departmental policy toward the homeless, police administrators should consider the image desired for patrol officers. Police who arrest or harass street people are 'enforcers.' Those who encourage the homeless to seek help or shelter in community institutions are 'public servants.' Should the administrator decide to pursue the 'public servant' image, the police must consult with other community professionals and agencies to ensure that adequate community resources are available for the homeless. Whichever policy is followed, it must comply with laws that specify particular behaviors to be sanctioned. General police harassment of homeless people because of their socioeconomic condition has been condemned by the courts. New York City, partly in response to civil suits by advocates for the homeless, has a policy of providing minimal physical and mental health care for the homeless. Under this policy, police encourage nonviolent 'street people' to seek shelter services. Mentally ill street people who are periodically violent pose the most difficult decision for police. They may be criminally prosecuted for specific law violations, placed in mental institutions, left on the streets, or forced to receive outpatient care at neighborhood clinics. 31 footnotes.