Vagrancy (Offense) from Past to Present

Abstract

Throughout history, vagrancy has been used in various societies to denote someone who is “dangerous”; vagrancy regulations have been enacted and implemented to eliminate the “danger” with sanctions, such as death penalty, imprisonment, forced labor, and exile, by determining this danger according to social needs. Historically, there have been approaches to vagrancy, sometimes punishing them, applying measures to prevent crime, and sometimes protecting and assisting them. Currently, the 1982 Constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights, the Turkish Civil Code, and various texts contain regulations on vagrancy. Today, the objectives of protection and prevention of crime continue to exist in a mixed manner. The study highlights how changes in social life determine vagrancy as a social phenomenon. The effects of wars, epidemics, population changes, and economic structure changes on both the scope of vagrants and their position before legal order and the tools to be used to combat them are discussed. While the new position of vagrancy, which was regulated as a crime under Turkish law until 1963, in the perspective of critical criminal law is determined, the relationship of vagrancy with the concept of underclass is revealed.

Keywords

• vagrancy
• vagrancy offense
• underclass