On Monday, the Supreme Court debated Grants Pass, Oregon’s ban on homeless people camping in its public spaces. The discussion comes at a time when municipalities across the country are struggling to address issues stemming from a surge in the number of unhoused individuals.

Lawyers representing a group of Grants Pass’s homeless residents argue that penalizing people without shelter violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. 

FURTHER READNG: Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Major Homelessness Case

The court is expected to take weeks to reach a decision on the biggest homelessness case it has heard in over 40 years, but what are your thoughts on the issue? Do laws that criminalize sleeping outdoors in cities constitute cruel and unusual punishment?