There’s No Place Like Home: Importance of Housing Stability for Reentry

Research suggests a number of barriers to successful reentry for justice-involved individuals, even after a short period of detention in jail. The challenges are well-documented, with housing being one of the most salient needs returning citizens face (Lutze et al., 2014; O’Brien, 2001; Roman and Tr...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Reece, Beverly (Author) ; Link, Tanja (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: American journal of criminal justice
Year: 2023, Volume: 48, Issue: 4, Pages: 1008-1027
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Homelessness
Housing instability
Jail
Needs
Precariously housed
Reentry
Description
Summary:Research suggests a number of barriers to successful reentry for justice-involved individuals, even after a short period of detention in jail. The challenges are well-documented, with housing being one of the most salient needs returning citizens face (Lutze et al., 2014; O’Brien, 2001; Roman and Travis, 2004). Estimates of housing instability and homelessness vary widely (Metraux & Culhane, 2006; Schlay & Rossi, 1992) as those incarcerated and those who are homeless are considered "hard-to-reach" populations (Umamaheswar, 2018). This is important as housing instability can have direct consequences for reoffending behavior, and stable housing has been shown to reduce recidivism (Bobashev et al., 2009; Lutze et al., 2014; Metraux & Culhane, 2004; Steiner et al., 2015). The current study employs a unique sample of male and female inmates in a jail reentry program to examine the prevalence of housing instability and the circumstances that led to said housing issues. This study fills a gap in the previous literature by making a distinction among those who are more stably housed, precariously housed, and literally homeless. We discuss the consequences of housing instability as well as important policy implications for this population.
ISSN:1936-1351
DOI:10.1007/s12103-023-09734-8