Assessing the influence of housing needs on boys’ offending post-release

ABSTRACT In 2016, there were approximately 45,000 juveniles in placement in the United States. Most youth indicate that they plan to live with a family member upon release. Yet, many boys report housing needs before, during or after their time in placement which may be related to family experiences with child maltreatment, substance abuse and criminal justice contact. Using the young males’ data from the Serious and Violent Offenders Re-entry Initiative (SVORI), we investigate the influence of boys’ housing needs prior to their release on their continued housing needs and offending in the first-year post-release. We found that needing a place to live prior to release significantly increased boys’ violent offending at nine-months post-release and we also find that boys who did not live with a parent prior to placement reported more crime at nine-months post-release. We also found that boys’ baseline housing needs and prior physical abuse significantly predicted boys’ reports that they needed help finding a place to live at nine-months and that baseline housing needs significantly predicted housing needs at fifteen months post-release. We contextualize our findings given the adverse family environments boys often face post-release.