vagrancy legal definition

A vague, poorly delineated set of minor offenses (dating from the downfall of feudalism in England, when there was an acute shortage of laborers), such as being in a condition of unemployment, wandering from place to place with no apparent purpose, and having no visible means of support. More recently, the police have utilized vagrancy statutes for arresting persons thought to have committed a crime, when lack of probable cause for the personÂ’s arrest is lacking. Vagrancy statutes have not been well received by the courts, due to their abuse, and have often been declared unconstitutional due to their vagueness, and their ignoring of due process.