Homelessness and incarceration are intricately linked, in myriad ways.People whoare homeless are more likely to interact with law enforcement officers and to wind up in jail;许多低级进攻的存在nses make itnearly impossible to live outdoors without being ticketed or arrested– even for “violations” such assittingon the sidewalk.Formerly incarcerated people are到thirteen timesas likely to experience homelessness as the general population, due in part to the long-lasting punishment levied against people convicted of crimes even after they are released from jail.And among both groups, people of color,especiallyBlack people, aredrasticallyoverrepresented.

Entering the prison system is amajor reason people end up homeless.With nowhere to go at the time of release, and a system of policies thatre-penalizethem, manyformerly-incarceratedpeople are forced into homelessness. Because Black people are over-policed, incarcerated at disproportionately high rates, and often receive harsher punishments, people of color arecycleddirectly from the criminal system directly into homelessness, in a way that white people are not.

Re-Entry and Homelessness

Life for people transitioning from incarceration to reintegration into the community is fraught with challenges. Social and economic barriers, outdated skill sets, and sanctioned discrimination make it hard for these individuals to find employment, especially in high-paying fields. Both public housing agents and private landlords have the legal right to discriminate on the basis of criminal history, barring formerly-convicted people from access to housing. The use of credit checks, high security deposits, income requirements, reference checks, and employer references can all make finding housing more difficult for someone who has been removed from the community for an extended period and faces barriers to gainful employment. Additionally, in some jurisdictions, formerly-imprisoned people can lose access to public benefits like food stamps, social security benefits, and cash assistance based on their criminal history, further entrenching their economic instability, which makes falling into homelessness more likely.

It’s clearthat spending time in the prison system makes eventual homelessness more likely. Butit’s also important to understandthe intrinsic links between race, criminalization, and homelessness.

Read the full article aboutcriminalization and Black homelessnessby Tianna Kelly at National Alliance to End Homelessness.