Homelessness and police-recorded crime victimisation: a nationwide, register-based cohort study

Abstract

Background Homelessness is associated with crime victimisation, which is a leading cause of death, exacerbates health problems, and increases the risk of violence. We aimed to study the risk of police-recorded crime victimisation in individuals with experiences of homelessness compared with the general population. MethodsWe did a nationwide, register-based cohort study of people aged 15 years or older, who were alive in 2001 and born in Denmark between 1980 and 2001. The cohort was constructed using the Danish Civil Registration System, with data linked across other registries (including the Danish Homeless Register, Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register, and the Danish Central Crime Register) by use of personal identification numbers. The exposure, experience of homelessness, was defined as at least one contact with a homeless shelter. The outcome was the date of first policerecorded crime victimisation. We calculated incidence rates per 1000 person-years, incidence rate ratios (IRRs), and cumulative probability of any crime victimisation and of violent crime victimisation. Psychiatric disorders, socioeconomic markers, and history of criminal offences were included as confounders. Findings Within the study period (Jan 1, 2001, to Dec 31, 2015), 1 182 749 individuals (9 831 776 person-years) aged 15-35 years were included, of which 184 813 (15•6%) had at least one crime victimisation incident (73 999 [40%] of which were violent victimisations). 4286 individuals (22 240 person-years) had at least one homeless shelter contact. Relative to the general population, and adjusting for age and calendar year, individuals with experience of homelessness had an increased risk of any crime victimisation (IRR 2•7 [95% CI 2•4-3•0]) in females and 2•3 [2•1-2•5] in males), and especially of violent crime victimisation (7•2 [6•3-8•2] in females and 3•6 [3•2-4•0] in males). This increased risk remained significant after further adjustments for potential confounders. People with both a psychiatric diagnosis and experience of homelessness had the highest risk of violent victimisation (IRR 10•1 [95% CI 8•6-11•9] in females and 4•3 [3•8-4•9] in males), while people with no psychiatric diagnosis or experience of homelessness (the reference group) had the lowest risk. In the 5 years after an individual's first homeless shelter contact, the cumulative probabilities of any crime victimisation were 23% (95% CI 21-26) in females and 16% (15-18) in males, which were substantially higher than those of the general population.Interpretation Homeless populations are at substantially increased risk of crime victimisation, highlighting the need for strategic and targeted approaches to prevent homelessness and to help people out of homelessness. Improvements in multiagency working (such as between homeless shelters, health-care services, substance misuse services, and police forces) might be important to reduce the risk of victimisation in marginalised populations, such as those with complex psychiatric or social problems, with experience of...

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“…Thus, the definition was comparable to previous Danish register-studies of homelessness. 25 , 26 This definition covers primarily the homeless shelter population using temporary accommodation under the Consolidation Act on Social Services, Section 110. In Denmark, this type of accommodation should be offered by the municipalities to people without a home or who cannot live in their own home who also have special problems and need some extra support.…”

Discriminación, violencia y exclusión social. Una aproximación a la realidad de las personas en situación de sinhogarismo y exclusión residencial.

“…Muñoz et al (2018) identificaron que el 55.1% de las personas que pernoctaban en la calle habían sido víctimas de una agresión desde que se encontraban afectadas por el SH. Estos trabajos, aunque con variaciones, constatan que la violencia es una realidad presente en la vida de esta ciudadanía, de manera que las PsSH se enfrentan a mayores experiencias de victimización que la población no afectada por los procesos de exclusión social (Nilsson et al, 2020;Truman, 2011). Asimismo, de los trabajos men- El muestreo cualitativo se ha guiado por criterios de representatividad socioestructural, siendo no probabilístico, intencional y teórico (Charmaz, 2006).…”

“…En este sentido, la tasa de victimización encontrada en este estudio (44.7%), aunque es inferior a la hallada en otros estudios previos (Barrett & Christopher, 2005;Calvo et al, 2021;Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2012;Meinbresse et al, 2014;RAIS Fundación, 2015), se sitúa en línea con las últimas estimaciones que señalan que la violencia afecta entre el 27% y el 52 % de las PsSH (Nilsson et al, 2020). Aunque España no dispone de encuestas de victimización a nivel estatal (Sobrino Garcés et al, 2021) y hay que comparar los datos con cautela, algunos trabajos sitúan la tasa de victimización para la población general entre el 17% (Díez-Ripollés y García-España, 2009) y el 33% (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 2015).…”

Homelessness and Health: A Retrospective Analysis of Medical Records From 2006 - 2020 to Explore the Health and Social Situation of Homeless People in Berlin. A Study Protocol

“…Additionally, homeless people suffer from food insecurity resulting in a generally poorer diet characterised by higher intakes of salt and lower intakes of fruit, vitamin C and bre (32). Another major risk factor is the high exposure to violence and higher chance of injury experienced by homeless individuals (33)(34)(35). Furthermore, medical care is usually provided outside the structures of the regular health care system and not always accessible (13,36).…”