Revise Vagrancy Law, Say Experts

Total rovision of California's vagrancy law, drafted in 1872, was urged at hearings held bofore the Assembly Intoria Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights last month in San Francisco.

The law was termed "very archaic" and entirely inadequate to meet modern conditions by District Attorney Thomas C. Lynch of San Francisco.

Arthur H. Sherry, professor of criminal law at the University of California's School of Criminology, called the statute " completely indefensible."

"It certainly needs revision," Sherry said and quoted the opening words of tho vagrancy law: "Every person, except a California Indian..."

"Any law that begins that way should be rowritten completely and reframed in the light of modern statutes," he said.

Lynch claimed he did not defend the San Francisco police practice of booking people as "$1000 vagrants". The charge requires bail of $1000.

"My deputies have orders they are to move for dismissal of vagrancy charges on the first calling in court if there is no policeman present to make out a case."

A statistical breakdown of vagrancy arrests in San Francisco produced by police as result of charges that $1000 vagrancy bookings are largely directed against Negroes disclosed that of 1336 arrests for common vagrancy in 1957, 23% were Negroes; of 2550 arrests for $1000 vagrancy, 55% woro Negroes.

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