Venezuela's Vagrancy Act provides for summary convictions for behavior and conditions that involve no legal employment and reliance on illicit income from such criminal activities as gambling, prostitution, pornography, and the illegal sale of alcoholic beverages. The model for formal intervention under this act is based in two propositions. The first is that the higher the visibility (overtness) of the behavior at issue, the greater is the probability of formal intervention by a criminal justice agency. The second proposition is that the greater the availability of criminal justice agency resources, the greater the probability of agency intervention. To test this model, this study examined all vagrancy cases handled by the Prefecture of District Libertador of the State of Merida for 1988-89. A total of 144 cases involved formal inquiries, and 1,500 cases were disposed without formal inquiries. The variables examined pertained to the decision regarding formal processing and the sanctions imposed upon conviction. The best predictor for the decision to open a formal inquiry is the police record of the defendant, which relates to the visibility of the defendant's behavior. Harshness of sanctions is related to the offender's criminal record and the public nature of the behavior at issue. The strength of evidence against the defendant also determined whether formal processing was pursued and the harshness of the sanctions. The strength of evidence is generally related to the resources available for investigation. Support is thus found for the model. 3 tables and 25 references