Criminality and Homeless Men: An Empirical Assessment

• NCJ Number: 121731
• Journal: Social Problems Volume: 36 Issue: 5 Dated: (December 1989) Pages: 532-549
• Author(s): D A Snow; S G Baker; L Anderson
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Expanded version of earlier draft presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science held in Boston, February 1988

Annotation

This paper examines the relationship between criminality and homelessness by tracking a random sample of homeless males through the police department records of a large Southwestern city over a 27-month period.

Abstract

When compared with data on criminality in the general population of males within the city over the same period, these data show that while the homeless have a higher overall arrest rate, the majority of offenses for which they are arrested are for public intoxication, followed by theft/shoplifting, violation of city ordinances, and burglary. The findings also suggest that criminality among homeless men varies with time on the streets and contact with the mental health system. Drawing on ethnographic data, these findings are explained in part in terms of criminalization, stigmatization, and adaptational processes. The findings challenge the depiction of homeless men as serious predatory criminals, and suggest a number of theoretical and policy implications. 7 tables, 55 references. (Author abstract)