Homelessness is a threat facing many offenders released from prison to return to their communities. While many such offenders have plans to stay with family, those who do not have this resource confront limited housing options, as well as a variety of other factors that can complicate their successful re-entry. Among these are:
• Scarcity of affordable and available housing,
• Legal barriers and regulations,
• Prejudices that restrict tenancy, and
• Strict eligibility requirements that exclude them federally subsidized housing.
The result for many former inmates is simply freedom to live on the streets, uncertain of their next meal or even protection from the elements. With prison offering guaranteed food and shelter, the temptation to re-offend only grows.
Studies indicate that those who leave prison and become homeless are more likely to return to prison than those with stable housing. That’s simply a fact. With worries over public safety and operating budgets, government officials and researchers now recognize the nation’s high rate of recidivism--over 40% in some locales--as a pressing public policy …show more content…
For example, the study finds that released offenders in each state tend to cluster in just a few cities; and that in these cities, they tend to live in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. That suggests that the burden of offender re-entry falls disproportionately upon a few urban areas within each state. Moreover, the disadvantaged neighborhoods in which they tend to live are precisely the ones that present the greatest risk of recidivism. In addition, living arrangements after release tend to be unstable and temporary, adding to the threat of homelessness and the pressures presented by a disadvantaged neighborhood. The offender, however, already faces limited housing options to escape such neighborhoods, as well as the lack of economic resources to afford housing in better areas were that an
• Scarcity of affordable and available housing,
• Legal barriers and regulations,
• Prejudices that restrict tenancy, and
• Strict eligibility requirements that exclude them federally subsidized housing.
The result for many former inmates is simply freedom to live on the streets, uncertain of their next meal or even protection from the elements. With prison offering guaranteed food and shelter, the temptation to re-offend only grows.
Studies indicate that those who leave prison and become homeless are more likely to return to prison than those with stable housing. That’s simply a fact. With worries over public safety and operating budgets, government officials and researchers now recognize the nation’s high rate of recidivism--over 40% in some locales--as a pressing public policy …show more content…
For example, the study finds that released offenders in each state tend to cluster in just a few cities; and that in these cities, they tend to live in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. That suggests that the burden of offender re-entry falls disproportionately upon a few urban areas within each state. Moreover, the disadvantaged neighborhoods in which they tend to live are precisely the ones that present the greatest risk of recidivism. In addition, living arrangements after release tend to be unstable and temporary, adding to the threat of homelessness and the pressures presented by a disadvantaged neighborhood. The offender, however, already faces limited housing options to escape such neighborhoods, as well as the lack of economic resources to afford housing in better areas were that an