Gender-specific correlates of incarceration among marginally housed individuals in San Francisco

S.D. Weiser, T.B. Neilands, M.L. Comfort, S.E. Dilworth, J. Cohen, J.P. Tulsky and E.D. Riley

American Journal of Public Health, 2009, vol. 99, issue 8, 1459-1463

Abstract: Objectives. We assessed how different patterns of housing instability affect incarceration and whether correlates of incarceration are gender specific. Methods. We used multivariate logistic regression to assess associations between patterns of housing instability and recent jail stays among a reproducible sample of 1175 marginally housed adults in San Francisco, California. Results. Over the previous year, 71% of men and 21% of women in the sample reported jail stays. Among women, long-term single-room occupancy hotel stays (>90 days) were protective for incarceration. Stays in the street were associated with incarceration among both genders, but among men, short-term (i.e., ≤90 days) street stays were associated with the highest odds of incarceration, and among women, long-term street stays were most correlated with incarceration. Sex trade increased the odds of incarceration among men only; recent drug use was associated with incarceration among both genders. Conclusions. Correlates of incarceration differed by gender, and patterns of housing instability differentially affected incarceration for men and women. Policies to improve housing options and drug treatment for the urban poor are critical to breaking the cycle of incarceration and homelessness and improving health outcomes.

Date: 2009
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.2105/AJPH.2008.141655

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2008.141655_3

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.141655

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().