Ex-prisoners and accommodation: what bearing do different forms of housing have on social reintegration for ex-prisoners?

Summary

A period in prison, especially a short period, far from rehabilitating an offender leads to a worse social context post-release than prior to imprisonment for many. As far as housing is concerned, the policy of imprisonment for short sentences for petty crime seriously destabilises at least half of those imprisoned and results in re-offending and re-incarceration.

Project Number: 70068
Research Theme: Homelessness, Social_Wellbeing
Project Leader: Baldry, Eileen
Funding Year: 2001
Research Centre: UNSW-UWS

Research & Policy Bulletin

Issue 036: The role of housing in preventing re-offending

Stable housing and helpful support are crucial to ex-prisoners' ability to move back into community life - but evidence from this study is that these are not available to the majority of people released from prison.

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Description

A pilot study, conducted by the Senior Researcher of this project between 1994 and 1998, which tracked a small group of non-parole prisoners leaving NSW gaols, indicated a positive connection between being "successful" (meeting participants' own goals and staying out of prison) upon release from prison and suitable, stable housing. This is in keeping with the small number of studies done internationally on the matter. There had been no longitudinal study in Australia of a sufficient sample size to provide reliable, valid data on ex-prisoners and housing.

What was evident in reports from prison welfare officers and community groups who work with prisoners, was that ex-prisoners are at extreme risk of homelessness and / or failed tenancies. A study of a year and a half's duration in which a sample of approximately 140-150 male and female prisoners from Victoria and New South Wales were interviewed before leaving prison regarding their planned housing situation and a number of other social factors was proposed. This sample included the handful of ex-prisoners entering supported housing schemes for ex-prisoners in NSW and Victoria. The sample would be a consecutive random one to ensure proportionally appropriate numbers of Indigenous and women, long and short-term prisoners. This group was then followed up at three and six month intervals.

The data gathered provided information on the ex-prisoners' type of housing, length of time in each accommodation, marriage status, relationship with family, addictions, any therapeutic programmes, employment status, previous convictions, parole status and recidivism. Using multivariate analyses the importance of type of accommodation in association with the other factors would be ascertained. The efficacy of housing cannot be evaluated other than in the context of social and personal variables with which it interacts in shaping a released prisoner's social re-establishment. Evaluation and comparison of the different housing forms (supported, private, boarding, rented, with or without family / friends etc) in relation to a variety of social supports such as addiction programmes, employment support and training, family attachment were made. Also internal comparisons between the "at risk" and marginal housing groups within the sample were made. The final report presents the research conclusions regarding programme integration and sustainable accommodation, and comparison between the various supported and non-supported accommodations for ex-prisoners.

More Information

Research and Policy Bulletin: Issue 036: The role of housing in preventing re-offending
110 KB PDF Document

Positioning Paper: No. 027: Ex-prisoners and accomodation: what bearing do different forms of housing have on social reintegration for ex-prisoners
758 KB PDF Document

Final Report: No. 046: Ex-Prisoners and accomodation: what bearing do different forms of housing have on social reintegration
954 KB PDF Document

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