UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones Spring 2010 The Criminalization of homelessness Sarah McKenzie Prather University of Nevada Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Criminology Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, and the Public Policy Commons Repository Citation Prather, Sarah McKenzie, "The Criminalization of homelessness" (2010). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 12. http://dx.doi.org/10.34870/1343197 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. 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THE CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS by Sarah McKenzie Prather Bachelor of Science Western Oregon University 2008 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Department of Criminal Justice Greenspun College of Urban Affairs Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2010 Copyright by Sarah Prather 2010 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the thesis prepared under our supervision by Sarah McKenzie Prather entitled The Criminalization of Homelessness be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Randall Shelden, Committee Chair Hong Lu, Committee Member Terance Miethe, Committee Member Barbara Brents, Graduate Faculty Representative Ronald Smith, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate College May 2010 ii ABSTRACT The Criminalization of Homelessness by Sarah McKenzie Prather Dr. Randall Shelden, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Criminal Justice University of Nevada, Las Vegas The current study is an analysis of the problem of homelessness in American society today. It focuses on the demographic characteristics of the homeless in addition to some of the contributing factors that explain homelessness. Of particular concern is how the criminal justice system responds to homelessness, including the criminalization and stigmatization of homeless individuals and the implications of such a response. The data used in this study come from a recent survey conducted in a jail setting in a northwest city. The present study compares those who have been homeless at one time or another and those who have never been homeless. More specifically, this study explores the relationship between homelessness, incarceration, prior criminal history, employment and other important factors that may increase the likelihood receiving a jail sentence and the severity of that sentence. iii ACKNOWLEDGENTS First and foremost I would like to thank Dr. William Brown, a previous mentor, for providing me with a unique opportunity to be a part of the research team that collected the data used in this study. Through his teachings, Dr. Brown opened my sheltered eyes to the world of poverty and its indigent populations; a desperate wakeup call that finally helped me realize my true calling in this life. I would also like to give thanks to Dr. Randall Shelden, my committee chair, for feeding my anger towards a selfish system that seeks to empower the wealthy and criminalize the poor. Without his daily pep-talks and his constant revisions of my work, the motivation to express my ideas through this thesis wouldn‟t have existed. I would also like to thank Dr. Hong Lu for all her editing, and for sitting down with me for long periods of time to help me understand the grueling process of data analysis. I would also like to thank Dr. Terance Miethe for his technical data skills, and helping me organize the most important part of my thesis. Also, without the unique outside perspectives of Dr. Barbara Brents, my thesis committee wouldn‟t be complete. A special thank you is reserved for my family. You‟ve always believed in me and my efforts, even when my ideas seem to come out of left field. Also, the tremendous support I received from close friends was especially helpful in getting me through the rough patches along the way. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 1 Defining Homelessness .................................................................................. 1 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ......................................... 5 The Demographics of Homelessness ............................................................. 5 Factors Contributing to Homelessness ........................................................... 7 Victimization and Criminalization of Homelessness ...................................... 13 CHAPTER 3 THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS ......................................... 19 Labeling and Homelessness ......................................................................... 19 Social Bond Theory and Homelessness ....................................................... 21 The Failure of the “American Dream” and Homelessness ............................ 22 CHAPTER 4 THE CURRENT STUDY .............................................................. 25 Methodology .................................................................................................. 25 CHAPTER 5 FINDINGS OF THE STUDY ....................................................... 31 Results of Univariate Analysis ....................................................................... 31 Results of Bivariate Analysis ......................................................................... 36 Results of Multivariate Analysis ..................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS .......................................... 42 Discussions ................................................................................................... 42 Theoretical Considerations ........................................................................... 44 Limitations ..................................................................................................... 45 Recommendations for Future Research ....................................................... 47 Conclusions ................................................................................................... 47 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................. 50 VITA ................................................................................................................... 54 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Descriptive Statistics for Total Sample by Homeless Status .............. 32 Table 2 Logistic Regression Analysis of Pretrial Detention ............................. 37 Table 3 Logistic Regression Analysis of Number of Times in Jail Past 12 months ................................................................................................ 38 Table 4 Logistic Regression Analysis of Length of Time in Jail ....................... 39 Table 5 Logistic Regression Analysis of Violent Charge ................................. 40 Table 6 Logistic Regression Analysis of Property Charge ............................... 40 Table 7 Logistic Regression Analysis of Disorder Charge ............................... 41 vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Defining Homelessness Despite the many resource programs that have been developed in cities nationwide, the issue of homelessness is a growing social issue that has yet to be dealt with successfully. Perhaps one of the most important issues in addressing homelessness is understanding and interpreting its definition. Federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and other bodies of research seem to interpret the definition differently. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a person is homeless who: lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence; and has a primary night time residency that is a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations, an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2007). In 1987 President Ronald Reagan signed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act into law, which comprised of several emergency relief provisions for food, shelter, mobile health care and traditional housing.