Bowen tells Newsweek what's at stake in Grants Pass v. Johnson

Newsweek quotes Elizabeth Bowen, associate professor in the School of Social Work, in a story about a U.S. Supreme Court case — Grants Pass v. Johnson — that focuses on whether people experiencing homelessness have a right to sleep outside. The case will decide whether laws that punish people for sleeping outside when no other shelter is available violate the U.S. Constitution.

“There is a lot at stake here,” Bowen said. “Criminalizing people who are homeless for activities that are legal to do inside a dwelling, such as sleeping, has a long history in the United States. This case will uphold the practice of the criminalization of homelessness or disrupt it.”