Introduction
Today homelessness is considered to be a critical issue for the USA as almost half a million of citizens do not have their own houses or flats. They are in a constant search of subsidized homes, shelters, goods, clothes and food. These people have limited opportunities and are not able to afford even some basic products. Being put in such condition, homeless individuals have to break the law and commit crimes (such as stealing food) even though they are not intended to do so. Survival skills often make them oppose the rules set up by the society, which leads to mass incarceration.
The homeless are put in a negative environment because of the lack of safe dwelling. They are more likely to live in crime-ridden neighborhoods than the other members of the society. This influences their behavior and increases the chances of becoming drug or alcohol addicts, which makes homeless individuals even more likely to become incarcerated. Except for that, individuals who were imprisoned do not have as many opportunities as the general public, which makes them a vulnerable population. They often have no or underpaid job that does not provide these people with money enough to have a decent residence (Johnson para. 12). Thus, homelessness and incarceration are seen tightly connected concepts that influence each other and are in a two-fold correlation. In this way, it is critical to consider what makes homeless people commit crimes that result in imprisonment.
The purpose of this proposal is to reveal the connection between homelessness and incarceration. In this proposal, I will discuss the sources that I found when investigated the issue. I will point out and explain the methods of research that allowed me to reach these sources and explain the correlations between homelessness and crime rates, as well as its connections to the mental disorders and substance abuse in the context of how homeless lifestyle can be related to the incarceration. I will provide a thesis which will indicate the way homelessness leads to mass incarceration. I will define the type of design that I will be using and provide a rationale for choosing it, including the information why it is appropriate for my research. I will discuss a possible solution to this current issue and emphasize the significance of the research.
Literature Review
When I started to work on this topic, I found out that it is critical to start with the limitations that are faced by homeless people, as they provide an opportunity to understand what makes these individuals commit crimes and, as a result, leads to imprisonment. Johnson’s article was advantageous, as it allowed me to get to know that those who have no personal dwellings are not able to access the societal and public spheres in a manner that can allow them to maintain a normal life (Johnson para. 7).
Thus, the main reason why the homeless are exposed to criminal behavior is the lack of access to education, healthcare services, employment, and inability to use modern means of communication and technological devices. This idea is supported by Moore, who considered that sociological categories, such as race, can define people’s exposition to homelessness and imprisonment and provided authoritative examples. It was stated that there are “about 1.4 million black men enrolled in higher education and a cataclysmic 745,000 behind bars” (Moore para. 9).
The work prepared by Markowitz is rather useful, as it emphasizes that homeless people do not have as many opportunities to survive as the other members of society (60). They cannot afford healthcare services when they have health problems, are not able to find a decent workplace and cannot have a bank loan.
As a consequence, the homeless have only two ways: to become a victim or to become a criminal, which proves that the level of homelessness and mental illness are connected. Except for that Markowitz stated that there is an independently documented evidence of “the increasing numbers of persons with mental illness in jails and prisons, many of whom are homeless” (46). The author emphasizes that both homelessness and incarceration lead to stresses, insecurity, substance abuse, etc. that often cause mental illnesses and disorders (Markowitz 47).
Salkow and Fichter ensured me that I am on the right way, as they support other professionals and claim that physical and mental health of the homeless is worse than the rest of the population has, which is critical for my research. They are sad to suffer from substance abuse and drug addictions, schizophrenia, psychiatric comorbidity, and various forms of anxiety and mood-related disorders, sometimes including depression and some forms of the bipolar disorder (Salkow and Fichter 469).
Kolata’s article is appropriate as it focuses on the connection between homelessness and drug abuse. The author states that alcohol and drug addictions often lead to homelessness, as they make people lose their jobs and homes. On the other hand, the unsafe and dangerous environment of living as a homeless person can be the cause of the substance abuse (Kolata para. 2).
Rationale
I will conduct my research to prove that individuals who keep a homeless lifestyle become incarcerated more often than other representatives of the society because they have limited educational and working opportunities and yield to the mental disorders and substance abuse because of the poor access to healthcare services and negative environments. I will emphasize that homelessness and incarceration exist within a vicious circle that cannot be broken without external help.
Society often neglects homeless people, believing that they are not good enough for working in a normal environment. Because of such treatment, the homeless tend to isolate themselves from the rest of the general public, and crime becomes the only means to survive for them. Even though the government implements programs to support them, they cannot supply all people with basic needs. Except for that, a psychological barrier is created, and it prevents the homeless from interaction with the society, which might be helpful. As a result, the homeless become hostile and refer to violent and criminal behavior. Still, many representatives of the general public who were released from the penitentiary institution and are not willing to conduct criminal actions anymore become homeless, which makes them refer to improper behaviors to survive.
Method and Design
When discussing the way homelessness leads to incarceration, I will need to conduct a qualitative research based on the information gained with the help of literature analysis. I will discuss the issue supporting my views with the data received from the most recent authoritative sources. I will structure my text so that the two-way connection between the two concepts will be clearly seen.
I will analyze the information received from the books and articles, adding quasi-statistics. I will use the ideas of the professionals to support my personal views or to disconfirm them. I will try to provide strong arguments that prove the connection between homelessness and incarceration. At the end of the paper, I will try to point out several ways, in which the situation can be improved. I will underline that the reduction of homelessness rates can be advantageous not only for the people who have no place to live in but also to the whole society, as there will be fewer crimes. I will also state the opportunities for further research.
Significance and Conclusion
My proposed research is likely to lead to a significant improvement because it will not only reveal the current situation of homelessness in the world but will also provide insight on how it influences incarceration rates. My research will be beneficial because it will describe the connection between these two issues in detail and provide an opportunity to consider in the future research what preventive measures can be used at each stage. I will continue this research to see if there is an opportunity to ask for federal funding and implementation of new programs that can be advantageous for the individuals who lost their homes. My topic is likely to attract attention not only of the professionals who work in this field but also of the general public, as the issues I examine are one the front burner for them. Society underlines the necessity of providing equal opportunities for all people regardless of their background that is why I consider my research to be of great value.
Works Cited
Johnson, Eric. More than 500,000 people homeless in the United State: Report, 2015.
Kolata, Gina. Drugs Addicts among the Homeless: Case Studies of Some Lost Dreams, 1989.
Markowitz, Fred. “Psychiatric Hospital Capacity, Homelessness, and Crime and Arrest Rates.” Criminology 44.1 (2006): 45-72. Print.
Moore, Antonio. The Black Male Incarceration Problem Is Real and It’s Catastrophic, 2015.
Salkow, Katja, and Manfred Fichter. “Homelessness and mental illness.” Current Opinion in Psychiatry 16.4 (2003): 467-471. Print.