Predictors of criminal justice system trajectories of homeless adults living with mental illness

Multivariable modelling of factors associated with criminal convictions among people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness: a multi-year study

“…Our results emphasize prior convictions, irregular receipt of social assistance payments, drug dependence, psychiatric hospitalization, time, younger age, and being a man as factors associated with a greater rate of criminal convictions among PEHSMI. Some of the variables that have been found to be significantly associated with CJSI in prior studies using unadjusted or adjusted analyses among PEHSMI, such as age of first homelessness 44 , personality disorder 45 , or ethnicity 16 , were significant only in our unadjusted analyses and were no longer significant when included in our multivariable model. Furthermore, none of the serious mental disorders were significantly associated with convicted offences in our multivariable analyses, which is more consistent with the General Personality and Cognitive Social Learning model.…”

“…Laws may also prohibit behaviours inherent to homelessness, such as sleeping on the streets 13 . Moreover, people experiencing homelessness, including those with mental illness, are more likely to be arrested for or to commit crimes of a more minor or non-violent nature, which may be related to visibility as well as survival and subsistence 1 , 2 , 14 – 16 . Mental health symptoms have also been found to predict committing non-violent crimes among PEHSMI 14 .…”

The Cal-DSH diversion guidelines

“…74 Some traumatized SMI persons engage in behaviors that have developed over time as survival strategies or fear responses, which may take them to unwanted contact with the criminal justice system. [75][76][77][78][79] Applied to diversion, a trauma-informed lens offers the opportunity to identify and address trauma-related sequelae that may contribute to individuals' psychiatric and behavioral instability, substance use, poor treatment response, relapse, unwanted contact with law enforcement agencies, recidivism, and other poor outcomes. Embedding TIC principles into the intercept model can alleviate the effects of trauma on individuals, minimize retraumatization, and stem the flow of individuals with SMI into the criminal justice system by addressing primary or contributory sources of problem behavior.…”

A Typology of Lifetime Criminal Justice Involvement Among Homeless Individuals With Mental Illness: Identifying Needs to Better Target Intervention

“…People with mental illness are at increased risk of criminal justice involvement (Fazel et al, 2016; Fisher et al, 2011). Furthermore, individuals released from correctional institutions are at increased risk of residential instability (Geller & Curtis, 2011; Kushel et al, 2005), and homelessness increases one’s vulnerability for contacts with the criminal justice system, through poverty-driven offending, increased surveillance, and the penalization of everyday life activities, such as sleeping or urinating in public spaces (Geller & Curtis, 2011; Hiday & Wales, 2011; Nijdam-Jones et al, 2017; Roy, Crocker, Nicholls, Latimer, & Isaak, 2016).…”

“…Previous studies have attempted to characterize profiles of criminal justice involvement of those with mental illness. Using cluster analysis, Roy and colleagues (2016) generated profiles of self-reported criminal justice system contacts among participants in the 6-month period prior to their enrollment in the At Home/ Chez Soi (AH/ CS ) study of homelessness. The first cluster comprised participants with multiple justice contacts, who were more likely to have depression and substance dependence, including a subgroup of individuals with frequent criminal justice involvement for nonviolent events, and more severe psychiatric symptomatology.…”