Recent Incarceration History Among a Sheltered Homeless Population

Abstract

This study examined incarceration histories and shelter use patterns of 7,022 persons staying in public shelters in New York City. Through matching administrative shelter records with data on releases from New York State prisons and New York City jails, 23.1% of a point-prevalent shelter population was identified as having had an incarceration within the previous two-year period. Persons entering shelter following a jail episode (17.0%) exhibited different shelter stay patterns than those having exited a prison episode (7.7%), leading to the conclusion that different dynamics predominate and different interventions are called for in preventing homelessness among persons released from jail and from prison.

The Impact of Shelter Use and Housing Placement on Mortality Hazard for Unaccompanied Adults and Adults in Family Households Entering New York City Shelters: 1990–2002

“…(E-mail: s.metraux@usp.edu) takes on spatial dimensions, as research identifies Harlem both as a neighborhood that disproportionately generates homelessness, 11 and has elevated mortality rates 12 to the point where, according to one study, men in Bangladesh had better prospects of reaching age 65 than African-American men in Harlem. 13 The homeless population also features other characteristics that are associated with increased mortality hazard, including poorer overall health; 14 mental illness; [15][16][17] substance abuse; [18][19][20][21] incarceration; [22][23][24] and adverse childhood experiences. 25,26 Pointing to the overrepresentation of these conditions, however, must also come with the acknowledgment that these conditions are invariably found only among minorities of the homeless population.…”

Reducing the incarceration of the homeless : an examination of multi-service use and the utilization of institutional services.

“…It has been estimated that an increasing number of incarcerated offenders suffer from mental illness and/or substance abuse (Vaughn, Freedenthal, Jensen, & Howard, 2007;Weedon, 2005;Vee, 2000). Higher prevalence of these disorders are found among the homeless when compared to the general population (Kuhn & Culhane, 1998;Larimer et aI., 2009;Metraux & Culhane, 2006;Phelan & Link, 1999;Toro & Warren, 1999). These facts hold true when comparing incarcerated homeless to domiciled inmates (Fitzpatrick & …”

“…Similarly, Greenberg and Rosenheck (2008) found 15.3% of the entire United States jail population had at least one episode of homelessness during the past year. Metraux and Culhane (2006) found 23.1 % of adults staying in the New York shelter system had a record of incarceration, primarily prior jail incarceration. The prevalence of homelessness in the criminal justice system greatly increases if we examine lifetime homelessness and rates of incarceration.…”

“…The prevalence of homelessness among individuals that have been arrested and incarcerated varies from an estimated low of 8% to a high of25% (Fitzpatrick & Myrstol, 2011;Greenberg & Rosenheck, 2008;Metraux & Culhane, 2006). Again, the vast difference in the prevalence of homeless within the criminal justice system corresponds to the way in which homelessness is calculated.…”

“…Homeless individuals are overrepresented in the criminal justice system, especially the correctional system (Fitzpatrick & Myrstol, 2011;Greenberg & Fitzpatrick, 2008). The disproportionate confinement is clearly visible even if using a conservative comparison of the lowest rate of incarceration for homeless inmates, 7.8%, and the highest rate, 2%, for domiciled inmates (Eberle et aI., 2000;Fitzpatrick & Myrstol, 2011;Greenberg & Rosenheck, 2008;Markowitz, 2006;Metraux & Culhane, 2006;Schlay & Rossi, 1992;Snow et aI., 1989). Greenberg and Rosenheck (2008) found individuals who had experienced at least one episode of homeless ness during the past year were 7.5 to 11.3 times more likely to be incarcerated in jail when compared to the general population.…”