Document Type : Research/Original/Regular Article
Authors
1
Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
3
PhD student, Faculty of Law, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.22106/jlj.2026.2091951.6574
Abstract
The agreement of states, as reflected in the United Nations Millennium Declaration of 2000, to eradicate poverty and hunger and to provide housing for citizens, as well as the designation of October 10 since 1986 as “World Homelessness Day” by the United Nations Human Settlements Program, indicates that the increasing number of homeless individuals as a social harm has prompted governments to take action. Through an examination of the model, dominant approach, and dimensions of criminal policy in Iran and the United States, the present study seeks to answer the questions of what approaches these countries adopt in their criminal policies when confronting homelessness and to what extent these policies are effective. In this regard, employing a descriptive–analytical method and examining relevant regulations and existing practices, this study seeks to explain the criminal and non-criminal approaches and responses toward homeless individuals. The findings of the research indicate that, depending on the type and model of each country’s criminal policy, which is derived from its ideological system and political, economic, religious, and cultural choices, we encounter various criminal, administrative, civil, and other responses in dealing with the phenomenon of homelessness. On the other hand, criminal and non-criminal interventions have been ineffective in reducing the homeless population. This has led to the adoption of treatment-oriented and problem-solving approaches, involving close cooperation between the judicial and healthcare systems, as well as the integration of punishment and treatment in recent years through the establishment of problem-solving courts. It appears that the measures implemented in homelessness problem-solving courts have been highly effective in reducing the number of homeless individuals.
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