Incarcerated People and Homelessness
15.3% of jail inmates have been homeless at some point in the year before incarcerationi.
Data from the 1996 NSHPAC showedii:
- 49% of currently homeless clients reported an experience of spending five or more days in a city or county jail
- 18% reported experiencing juvenile detention before age 18
- 54% reported experiencing one or more types of incarceration
Research data about people incarcerated in prisons and in jails show that:
- 10% were homeless immediately before incarceration
- 20% of the incarcerated population with mental illness were homeless
- Arrest rates for a sample of homeless adults over a 12-month period range from 10% for those without substance use disorders to 20% for those abusing alcohol or other drugsiii
Age, Gender & Race/Ethnicity
In a study of older homeless adults in Minnesotaiv:
- 51% had been incarcerated at some point in their lives
- 11% had been incarcerated in the past year
Serious Mental Illness, Traumatic Stress, & Substance Use
Of jail inmates who were homeless in the year prior to incarceration, many had high rates of mental health, substance use, and traumatic experiencesv:
- 79% showed symptoms indicating drug or alcohol abuse or dependence
- 75% showed symptoms indicating the presence of a mental illness
- 31% have been physically or sexually abused
- 46% have been shot at (excludes military combat)
- 49% have been attacked with a knife or other sharp object
View the HRC's additional factsheets:
References