The Experience of Homelessness and Perceived Unfair Police Treatment

• In Event: Insights from Justice-Involved and Unhoused Individuals

Abstract

Previous research has found that homeless individuals frequently interact with law enforcement, leading researchers to investigate the causes and consequences of criminal involvement within homeless populations. However, less is known about the extent to which these interactions are a result of unfair treatment of homeless individuals rather than the commission of an actual crime. In this study, using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health; n=11,765), we examined the relationship between homelessness and perceived unfair police treatment, as well as the predictors of unfair police treatment among homeless individuals. The logistic regression analyses revealed that experiencing homelessness at wave III was associated with 2.3 times greater odds of self-reported unfair police treatment at wave V. Among homeless individuals, those identifying as Black and Other Race had 2.2- and 3.1-times greater odds of unfair police treatment as compared to their White counterparts. Additionally, being male was associated with 4.1 times greater odds of unfair police treatment as compared to being female. These findings suggest that individuals with a history of homelessness are more likely to report unfair police treatment, but there is variability in these patterns based on homeless individuals' racial and sexual identities.

Authors

• Chloe Davenport, Middle Tennessee State University

• Ugur Orak, Middle Tennessee State University

• Vaun Baltimore, Middle Tennessee State University