Criminal record stigma, race, and neighborhood inequality

Abstract

Justice‐involved people experience high levels of housing instability and residential mobility, making the housing search a recurrent part of life. Little is known, however, regarding how criminal record stigma functions in the rental housing market. This article examines how housing providers use criminal records to screen tenants in the rental housing market and whether it varies by type of neighborhood. I conduct an online correspondence audit to test discriminatory behaviors and find an adverse criminal record effect on housing opportunities. Many housing providers disqualify all tenants with a criminal record, even without information about the severity or timing of offenses. The criminal record effect is significantly stronger in gentrifying neighborhoods and in neighborhoods where the proportion of Black residents is dwindling. Tenant screening emerges as a central obstacle faced by the justice‐involved population, vital to understanding the web of disadvantages that traps so many in the wake of the carceral state.

Attitudes toward individuals with opioid use disorders and criminal justice involvement: An experimental vignette study

“…Similarly, internalized stigma is high in the CJI population, as they have been labeled as criminals and face challenges upon re-entry (Moore et al, 2016). Overcoming the stigma that is associated with the label of criminal is difficult, as stigma impacts discriminatory behaviors, such as the ability to get approved for housing (DeMarco, 2023;Evans et al, 2021), which, in turn, affects overall quality of life (McWilliams & Hunter, 2021). Evidence is growing on the impact that stigma may have on health inequities, as mental health stigma is a significant predictor of poor outcomes related to housing, employment, social relationships, education, access to health care, and health (Hatzenbuehler et al, 2013).…”