#poornotguilty

#PoorNotGuilty curates resources and advocates on the decriminalisation of homelessness and around the rights to adequate housing.

#PoorNotGuilty established in 2019 at the international Petty Offenses Symposium

At a communication workshop, advocates selected the hashtag #PoorNotGuilty to share stories and amplify and support advocacy addressing the criminalization of poverty. Advocates came from Canada, Guinea, Guyana, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 

The workshop was held at University of Miami prior to the Petty Offenses Symposium: Challenging Criminalization of Poverty, Marginalization, and Gender Non-Conformity hosted by UM’s School of Law’s Human Rights Clinic, UM Law Review, UM School of Communication, National Homelessness Law Center, and Open Society Foundations’ Human Rights Initiative.

Founding Partners

The Human Rights Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law, Matters at Play design lab at DePaul University, the National Homelessness Law Center, and the Fines & Fees Justice Center have developed a series of virtual interactive simulations highlighting how fines and fees in the United States justice system perpetuate poverty at poornotguilty.org/challenge.

These simulations require players to roleplay with the goal of generating empathy around the impossible binds current laws and policies place people experiencing homelessness and poverty. They are further embedded in a website introducing participants to the relevant human rights standards at poornotguilty.org.

Poor Not Guilty Challenges

Related Updates

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US: Ninth Circuit Lifts Injunction: San Francisco Resumes Homeless Sweeps
Invisible People: San Francisco officials can begin conducting homeless sweeps again after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals partially withdrew a preliminary injunction against the city that had been in place...
Date: July 2024
photo: Sven Torfinn. Malawi, Blantyre, December 2016. Mayeso Gwanda selling plastic bags on the market in Blantyre. Mayeso Gwanda is a street vendor by trade and was arrested on his way to sell plastic bags. The applicant was charged under section 184(1)(c) and his criminal trial was subsequently stayed pending the determination of the constitutional petition filed by the applicant. The applicant submits that the offence is outdated and vague which results in its arbitrary enforcement by the police. The applicant submits that the offence results in a number of rights violations, including his rights to dignity, privacy, freedom from inhumane and degrading treatment, freedom and security of person, freedom from discrimination, and freedom of movement. Section 184(1)(c) of the Penal Code provides that “every person found in or upon or near any premises of in any road or highway or any place adjacent thereto or in any public place at such time and under such circumstances as to lead to the conclusion that such person is there for an illegal or disorderly purpose, is deemed a rogue and vagabond.” The offence has frequently been criticised by civil society, academics and the courts for the arbitrary manner in which it has been enforced. The offence of being a rogue and vagabond exists in the same wording in the Penal Codes of many African countries and dates back to the era when these countries were subjected to British colonial rule, including Nigeria, Gambia, Zambia, Uganda, Botswana, Seychelles, and Tanzania. On the 10th of January 2017 his case will be in court for review.
Poverty a criminal offence in Malawi
SALC & CHREAA: Despite being a constitutional democracy, local authorities in Malawi continue to perpetuate the colonial legacy by criminalising poverty and inequality through the incessant administration of draconian colonial...
Date: July 2024
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National Homelessness Law Center Condemns Supreme Court Decision, Demands Real Solutions to Homelessness
NHLC: In a profoundly disappointing ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court today decided that the US Constitution does not protect homeless people against cruel and unusual punishment, even when they have...
Date: June 2024
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#PoorNotGuilty Resources

Curated resources on Homelessness produced by the campaign and/or campaign partners.

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The Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status is a coalition of organisations from across the world that advocate for the repeal of laws that target people based on poverty, status or for their activism.

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@DecrimPS

#DecrimPoverty   |  #DecrimStatus  |  #DecrimActivism