Housing Ex-Offenders: Identifying Barriers and Proposing Solutions

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• Reentry and Housing the Ex-Offender

• Housing Ex-Offenders Identifying Barriers and
  Proposing Solutions

Angela Lee ODRC Reentry and Family Program
Administrator
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Topics

• ODRC Statistics/Offender Population
  Characteristics
• Urban Institutes, Returning Home Study, Findings
• Sex Offenders
• Housing Initiatives
• How Does It All Fit Together?

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ODRC Statistics and Offender Characteristics

• Currently there are 49,488 incarcerated offenders
• Capacity is 37,610
• All time record high
• Expected to reach 55,543 offenders by July 2009
• Female population is the fastest growing
  population

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• Of those offenders admitted, 60 serve less than
  one year-55 of them serve less than six months.
• In FY2006 28,448 offenders were released to the
  community. 13,904 (less than half) were released
  to community supervision
• Average age
• Male 35.2 years
• Female 35 years

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• F4 F5 felonies comprise 57.3 of committed
  crimes.
• Four major crimes
• Drug Possession
• Drug Trafficking
• Burglary
• Theft
• The national average cost of confining
  an offender is 22,000
• In Ohio the cost is 25,000

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Urban Institute, Returning Home StudyKey
Findings in Ohio

• Housing instability is high
• 63 of men studied lived in more than one place
  during the year after release
• Nearly 1/3 moved several times within first year
• 46 considered living arrangement temporary
• Men studied felt their housing situation could be
  jeopardizing their prospects for successful
  reintegration
• Housing and Financial Support is a critical need
  for successful reentry.
• Urban Institute-Returning Home Policy Brief-April
  2007
• Christy Visher and Shannon Courtney, Research
  Associates

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Predictors of Re-Incarceration One Year After
Release

• Those who had
• Secured long-term stable housing in the first
  month,
• Secured a job six months after release, and
• Maintained a positive attitude and had family
  support
• were less likely to be Re-Incarcerated.

Urban Institute-Returning Home Study-April 2007
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Urban Institute-Returning Home Post-Release
Surveys Preparation for Reentry

• Nearly all men participated in some type of
  program
• 64 in Ohios Release
• Preparation Program
• 87 in other programs
• 23 earned a GED

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Urban Institute-Returning Home Post-Release
Surveys Community

• Over half did not
• return to old
• neighborhood

• 77 felt
• neighborhood
• was safe

• But, 60 thought
• neighborhood was
• not a good place
• to find a job

• Wanted to
• avoid trouble

• Lost
• previous
• housing

• 49 said drug
• trafficking was
• major problem
• in neighborhood

Post-Release Prisoner Residence

• Family/friend
• moved

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Urban Institute-Returning Home Post-Release
Surveys Housing

• 21 lived with former prisoner and 16 lived with
  substance user
• 4 out of 5 men relied on family for housing
• Almost half viewed housing as temporary

Living Arrangements at 1, 6, and 12 Months After
Release
Those with long-term housing were less likely to
return to prison
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• Myths and Realities About Sex Offenders

The Importance of Community Participation
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• Myth
• Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers

• Ohio Facts
• 87 of child victims know their offender with
  almost half being a family member
• 76 of adult women were raped by a current or
  former husband, live-in-partner, or date.
• Office of Criminal Justice Services, Report to
  the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission-January
  2006

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• Myth
• Most child sexual abusers use physical force or
  threat to gain compliance from their victims

• Fact
• In most cases, abusers gain access through
  grooming, deception, and enticement.

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• Myth
• Most child sexual abusers find their victims by
  frequenting such places as schoolyard and
  playgrounds.

• Fact
• Most Abusers offend against children they know
  and have established a relationship.

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• Myth
• Sex Offender have a high recidivism rate

• Fact
• In Ohio only 8 of convicted sex offenders
  recidivate by committing a new sex offense, 14.3
  recidivate committing a non-sex related
  offenseResearch has shown that sex offenders
  recidivate at a lower rate than other offenders
• - Office of Criminal Justice Services, Report
  to the Ohio Criminal Sentencing
  Commission-January 2006

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Housing InitiativesODRC Community Partners

• Independent Housing
• Permanent Supportive Housing
• Reentry Centers
• Halfway Houses

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• How Does It All
• Fit Together?

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Collaborative Practices

• Collaborations and partnerships are great but
  developing best practices is even greater.

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Service Providers

• Service Providers are an essential element in
  the reintegration process of ex-offenders. The
  Community provides a network of support for
  victims and offenders. Getting involved helps
  prevent crime, victimization, and reduce
  recidivism.

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Offenders

• Offenders are provided with the tools necessary
  to become tax-payers not tax burdens, become
  active members in their communities and family
  while still being held accountable for their
  behaviors.

• OFFENDERS

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Criminal Justice Professionals

• Justice professionals assist in providing a
  balanced approach to justice. Support legislative
  opportunities essential in promoting offender
  reentry and safer communities.

• JUSTICE
• PROFESSIONALS

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Safer Ohio Communities
Safer Ohio Communities
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Together we can break the cycle of incarceration
now and for generations to come...