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Bradner, K., & Schiraldi, V. N. (2020). Racial inequities in New York parole supervision. Columbia University, Justice Lab. 1-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-f4sf-0s28.
Summary
The article “Racial Inequities in New York Parole Supervision” by Bradner & Schiraldi (2020) explores the racial and ethnic inequities in practices of parole supervision in New York. The text shows that the scope and conditions surrounding New York’s parole supervision practices have substantial impacts on individuals serving sentences. Specifically, the conditions relating to parole supervision in New York are reported to hinder the freedom of offenders, encourage incarceration, and can deter the community reintegration process necessary for successful reentry after leaving prison. Therefore, the article strives to examine the racial and ethnic inequities on parole violations and revocation in New York, and also provide further context through the review of existing studies on inequalities that exist in supervision practices countrywide.
Focusing on the three points mentioned above, the report outlines the findings by Justice Lab analysis that demonstrate that New York’s people of color go through disparate burdens at all these points. As such, the report indicates that Black and Latinx people are more prone to parole supervision compared to white people, and supervision disparities are worse in men than women on a national scale. It is also evident that the detainment of black and Latinx people for parole in the New York City jails is at a higher rate unlike the rate of white people, the rates of blacks are higher the those of Latinx people. Supervision disparities for males are reported to be at a higher rate compared to men where the rates of men from the colored background are more likely to experience supervision disparities for prison incarceration in the New York City State prisons. The research finding for the article shows that people of color in New York are exposed to disparate outcomes at a profoundly higher level compared to the reported national averages. From the review of existing research, the article found that being on parole for a longer duration increasingly puts people of color at a disadvantage, and as such, they are more likely to be unfairly charged with violations as well as receive severer punishments.
As such, the report recommends several approaches to aid in reforms on the parole system to prevent or mitigate disparities relating to parole supervision in the New York City State prisons. Notably, policy change is the key recommendation that is believed to trigger positive effects for Black and brown people. The article cited the Less Is More Act which is intended to enact the proposed policy recommendation. More importantly, the article deduced that there is high feasibility on parole reforms in New York that would significantly address the sources of racial and ethnic disparities that are deeply rooted in the City’s parole supervision. As such, legislative actions should be taken to mitigate the challenges associated with discrepancies in parole supervision that directly affects the lives of the violators and the community at large. The report shows that Black and brown people as well as the already underserved communities will continue to suffer from the disparities in parole supervision if the policy changes fail to take place.
Discussion
The article conducts in-depth research on the conditions of parole supervision and the possible impacts on the people of color and the already vulnerable underserved communities in the New York City State prisons. The article utilizes extensive and reliable sources of data to support their findings and make feasible recommendations. From the report findings, the people of color are disproportionately more likely to experience violation charges and receive harsher punishment due to the fact that they remain on parole for longer, unlike the white people (Bradner & Schiraldi, 2020). Furthermore, there is a constant increase in the number of people under parole supervision countrywide in the past years, with a reduction in probation populations and the number of individuals under community corrections supervision. The high number of persons under parole supervision increases the possibilities of disparities within the system, and often, the most disadvantaged groups are the people of color. Therefore, the people of color in New York State prisons are highly predisposed to be under parole supervision, jailed pending violation hearing, and to be incarcerated for technical violation more that the white people.
The fact that people on parole are expected to adhere to certain rules or conditions such as dissociating with people with criminal records and avoiding substance abuse means that failure to adhere will result in re-incarceration, an offense referred to as technical violation. Re-incarceration can result in severe punishment such as sentencing to an extended time in state prison. Therefore, the article deduced that people of color are more likely to be charged for technical violations as a result of the existing racial and ethnic disparities in the parole supervisions, particularly in New York (Bradner & Schiraldi, 2020). The rules and conditions set for parole supervision are the notable aspects that encourage the persistence of disparities since they obstruct the people under supervision and their families from living normal lives. For instance, anyone who is under supervision cannot engage freely with the community due to conditions such as not being allowed to live with supportive family or friends with criminal records or work overnight in well-paying jobs because they are not allowed to violate curfew hours. All these pose a lot of difficulties in rehabilitating offenders towards re-entering society after a prison sentence.
Furthermore, the existing racial and ethnic discrimination on the people of color along with conditions of parole supervision are contributing aspects that worsen systemic racial inequities. For instance, New York is reported to have lower parole supervision rates countrywide but it has the highest rate of re-incarceration (Bradner & Schiraldi, 2020). The report utilizes reliable statistics from credible sources to show that the people of color constitute the largest population of persons on parole and are being held for new charges. This relates to the fact that a larger population of the Black and brown communities are prone to violence, increasing the risk of being incarcerated and re-incarcerated. Therefore, the presence of disparities in parole supervision will mean that most people who will be charged with technical violations are people of color. Furthermore, the longer one is under parole supervision means they are likely to violate parole rules, and as such, increases the risk of being re-incarcerated. It is, therefore, clear that parole supervision practices have profound impacts on offenders and people within their surroundings, and especially people of color and already-vulnerable underserved communities. As such, the recommendations suggested in the article regarding the need for policy reforms on the parole system in New York will bring positive impacts and even justice to the disadvantaged population.
References
Bradner, K., & Schiraldi, V. N. (2020). Racial inequities in New York parole supervision. Columbia University, Justice Lab. 1-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-f4sf-0s28.
Homelessness in San Jose Ca
Homelessness in San Jose Ca
Name
Date
Homelessness in San Jose Ca
Annotated Bibliography
San Jose: California’s First City
This book was written by Donald, O., Beilharz, Edwin A.; and DeMers Jr. and published by MIT Press in 2010. It gives a lot of information on the issue of landlessness in San Jose Ca. in his explanations; the authors say that this has been a persistent problem whose origin dates back to the past centuries. Landlessness affects many people in the larger California. However, the most vulnerable groups are the minority groups including the African Americans. Homelessness is majorly caused by persistent poverty which makes many people not be able to access housing facilities. This book is very important in this research because it sheds more light on this problem. It can help ion tracing its origin and developmental stages it has undergone up to the present times. This is because, when making such a study, it is essentially important to find the basis of the problem before dwelling on the emerging trends and probably looking for the most appropriate remedial measures.
FOCUSING ON SOLUTIONS: Family Homelessness
This book was authored by Zack Olmstead and published by Housingca publishers in the year 2011. Here, Zack argues that homelessness has become an emotive issue in San Jose Ca. he goes ahead to state that it has persisted because of the failures of San Jose City Council to cooperate with the homeless people in this place. As he argues, the council has a lot of responsibilities to clear all the homeless camps within the city. However, this has been difficult since it has not managed to meet the required budget. Similarly, the text states that the council has failed to lobby for the support of other concerned organs such as the Housing Department and the San Jose Conservation Corps. The support of these groups is very important as far as the elimination of homelessness is concerned. They can clean the homeless camps and provide housing options to the victims. This book is essential for this study because it gives up dated highlights on statistics and efforts of the City Council of San Jose and other concerned authorities. The data it provides can be useful when conducting this research. This is because it is more up dated than any other text which explores the contributions of the relevant authorities in dealing with this problem. Even if it is the long term plan of the City Council of San Jose to deal with it, the book explores that this may not be achieved unless stern measure s are taken.
Promising Strategies: Mercer County Board of Social Services and Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness
In this article, the National Alliance to End Homelessness clarifies that homelessness in San Jose is intensified by financial difficulties. In fact, high cases of this problem are heard of during recession periods when individuals are struggling to meet their essential obligations such as food and clothing. The article further explains the kind of lifestyle adopted by the victims of homelessness in different parts of this city. Because of lack of options for where to stay, the paper examines that these people choose to set up bases at the public parks. These are the only free spaces where they can relax hoping that they can relieve their agonies and have a peace of mind. However, as the paper explains, it does not work out because it is not taken lightly by the city authorities. Their belongings are treated as baggage which only dirties the clean city. This article is very essential for this study because of the way it acquaints the researchers with all this information. Its explanations on the way homeless individuals move from place to place with their belongings is quite informative. It sheds more light on the extent at which the effects of this menace is felt amongst the Sn Jose’s population.
Homelessness in NYC-Women in Need NYC Literature Review
Homelessness in NYC-Women in Need NYC Literature Review
Name______________________________
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
May 01, 2021
Homelessness in NYC-Women in Need NYC Literature Review
Introduction
One of the critical social challenges in the United States is homelessness. Homelessness in New York City is at an all-time high, with record numbers of homeless families needing shelter and services (WIN, 2020). The idea that homelessness is a choice perpetuates a false narrative. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (2020), it was reported that nearly 570,000 people had no place to sleep in January 2020 (O, Regan et al., 2021). According to the NYC Department of Homeless Services (2021), as of March 2021, there were 11,563 sheltered homeless families, 16,956 homeless children, 16,921 homeless adults in families, and 4,830 homeless single women. While homelessness may look like it is a problem that can only be resolved through allowing affordable housing and expanding shelters, the problem runs deeper and may require many support services to combat this crisis. There’s a multitude of available services to assist families struggling with homelessness in New York City.
According to Otokiti & Alabi (2018), homelessness is defined as a lack of permanent housing that leads to instability and uncertainty of where one will sleep at night. Two categories of homeless individuals exist, those that are unsheltered and those that are sheltered. Research shows that the total number of unsheltered and sheltered homeless women and children has been on the rise, particularly after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, with domestic violence, eviction, and unemployment as the leading causes (WIN, 2020). The sheltered homeless population resides in public housing units which are government-run programs, families living in transitional shelters, and that have no option but to live or double up with family or friends (Otokiti & Alabi, 2018). The unsheltered homeless individuals usually take shelter in public spaces such as public parks, subways, and streets. To better understand some of the available housing programs, it’s essential to know the differences between emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing. Most homeless families usually go to emergency shelters to receive services and short-term stability before attaining a long-term plan addressing their housing needs. On a typical day, 24,000 victims and their children receive emergency shelter services in the U.S (Fisher & Stylianou, 2019). According to WIN (2020), 1 of 12 families that leaves the shelter system will return within one year. Emergency and transitional housing are time-limited programs, while permanent supportive housing programs do not have a specified time limit (Hong & Piescher, 2012), all of which WIN NYC offers to their residents. According to Lisitski (2019), transitional housing combines up to 24 months of housing with accompanying support services to provide a foundation of stability to enable a successful transition to independent living. The average length of time a homeless family will live in the shelter system is 15 months (WIN, 2020). The supportive housing intake process consists of assessing the family’s strengths and needs using standardized self-report questionnaires, a parent interview, and reports from children’s teachers (Gewirtz, 2010). Women and their children often need more comprehensive programs of support, such as permanent supportive housing, which offer social services such as job training, substance use programs, case management, life skills training, child care, etc., in addition to housing.
Domestic Violence
Homeless women comprise of an increasing proportion of the homeless population (Lehmann et al., 2007). The most common profile of a homeless family is one headed by a single mother in her late 20s with approximately two children, one or both under six years of age (Hong & Piescher, 2012). Women and mothers under the age of 35 are at a higher risk of becoming homeless due to instability in their support network. Housing instability and homelessness among women are associated with poor mental health and physical health outcomes, higher mortality rates, reduced access to health and social care (Reid et al., 2020). During the emergence of Covid-19, research studies have suggested rampant domestic violence incidents based on social and economic pressure. In the U.S, an estimated 5200 women are turned away from domestic violence services due to lack of funding or space (Peek-Asa et al., 2011). Domestic violence victims lost social connections from friends, coworkers, and helping professionals due to social distancing guidelines. In-person support teams were prevented from continuing their roles in helping victims survive abuse (Sharma & Borah, 2020). Domestic violence shelters play an integral role in supporting victims and are a critical source by offering victims services, safety, and a place to consider their options (Fisher & Stylianou, 2019).
Fisher & Stylianou (2019) analyzed the provisions of domestic violence emergency shelters located in NYC designed to help women facing domestic violence. The study’s purpose was to examine the victims’ perspectives on what support services are needed to improve the program’s delivery. However, many of the DV shelters were understaffed and under-resourced due to lack of funding, reflecting on the residents’ dissatisfaction with their services because the shelters were not meeting their needs. Some of the negative experiences with shelter staff were the lack of emotional support, helpfulness, availability, and empathy, which influences the shelter residents’ decision to leave or stay depending on the quality of services.
Impact on Children
Extended shelter stays are expensive and can be detrimental to children. Homeless children have disproportionate negative academic experiences, including absenteeism, high mobility rates, grade repetition, and the need for special education services, which may all contribute to poor academic performance (Hong & Piescher, 2012). Research indicates that homeless children are much more likely to be exposed to community violence, domestic violence, and child abuse and are at higher rates of stressors such as changing schools, hunger, and malnutrition. Children are more exposed to social isolation due to unsafe environments, past histories of victimization, and trauma experienced by their mothers (Hong & Piescher, 2012). Children are vulnerable to mental health issues such as anxiety, PTSD, and depression due to multiple traumatic events (Gewirtz, 2010). Although safe and stable housing is critical for a child, housing alone is insufficient because of the high rates of educational, behavioral, and emotional problems among children. Upon arrival to a shelter, emotional and behavioral difficulties may exacerbate among children (Gewirtz, 2010).
Aging Out of Foster Care
During the transition to adulthood, young people aging out of foster care at a high risk of homeless. Research states that 30% of the youth leaving out of the foster care system experienced homelessness by the age of 26 due to the difficulty securing housing (O, Regan et al., 2021). This population faces challenges in acquiring housing, but they also experience challenges in education, employment, and mental health. After they are discharged at the age of 18 and out of the foster care system, they are no longer eligible to receive state assistance such as housing, financial, medical, and food security. Homelessness increases the risk for several adverse life outcomes of foster care youth, such as the increased risk for lack of education, employment, victimization, substance abuse, and incarceration (Verulava et al., 2020). Verulava et al. (2020) conducted a study on young people that have aged out of foster care and were living in shelters. Commonalities among most participants were that after the death of their parents, they entered the shelter and lacked adequate emotional, social, and financial support. A participant in a study stated, “The most challenging aspect for me now is to survive on my own; I don’t have a job, family, or supports, I don’t know where to go” (Verulava et al., 2020, p. 111). Therefore, to effectively navigate the transition, this population needs access to opportunities that can assist them. WIN NYC serves young women aging out of foster care by providing them with strengths-based case management.
Workforce
The unsheltered and sheltered homeless population are often stigmatized, discriminated against, and encounter barriers to securing employment. There’s a false narrative that the homeless population is either unemployed or with no desire to work; however, it was reported that almost one-third of homeless people work at least part-time (Golabek-Goldman, 2017). A concerning issue is that most employers don’t employ formerly homeless or homeless people. Employers have doubts about their dependability, motivation, and ability to assimilate into the workplace. Discrimination is the most common challenge which causes feelings of discouragement and hopelessness to regaining housing stability and job-seeking (Golabek-Goldman, 2017). Many are rejected during the hiring process due to a lack of permanent housing when questioned about their residency history. If the homeless population was given an equal chance to employment opportunities, they would be better positioned to secure housing stability.
Best practices
Within homeless housing and services, the promotion and use of evidence-based practices are implemented when serving residents. Due to the lasting effects of trauma, there has been a growing interest in systems of care to mitigate re-traumatization and focuses on client strengths and empowerment (Lisitski, 2019). Trauma-informed care has been found to play an integral role for both victims of violence and the youth experiencing homelessness (Reid et al., 2020). WIN (2020) trains all its social services staff, security, maintenance staff, and program leadership staff in Trauma-Informed care (TIC). Social care staff are trained in Motivational Interviewing (MI). Supportive housing staff are trained on Strengths-Based Case Management (SBCM). Trauma-Informed Care is a strengths-based framework grounded in an understanding of and responsiveness to the impact of trauma, which emphasizes physical, psychological, and emotional safety for both providers and survivors. It creates opportunities for survivors to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment (Lisitski, 2019). Organizations such as WIN NYC implement TIC because it’s meant to create a culture of safety and promote healing from trauma. Its focus is to provide support in managing trauma symptoms and engaging in practical daily functions (Lisitski, 2019). In addition, research has been found to positively impact housing stability among families experiencing homelessness (Lisitski, 2019). However, there have been interconnected challenges with TIC implementation due to insufficient funding from the federal government, which causes shorter-term interventions that limit supportive services. There is confusion on what TIC includes and how it is unique from the social work practice (Lisitski, 2019).
Furthermore, additional practices related to TIC are mindfulness, empowerment counseling, and motivational interviewing. According to Lisitski (2019, for decades, the empowerment theory and counseling model have been utilized within domestic violence shelter programs. As such, part of WIN’s central goal is “to empower domestic violence survivors and their residents so that they can regain independence” (p.28). The theory of empowerment is based on the assumption that the capacity of people to improve their lives is determined by their ability to control their environment and emphasizes the importance of engagement in activities (Busch & Valentine, 2000). At WIN, caseworkers work one-on-one with mothers to help them set their own goals and empower them. Social workers within the nonprofit organization offer 100 workshops to help clients feel empowered and develop peer support systems (WIN, 2020). Empowerment promotes a greater quality of life and attainment of longer-term positive outcomes (Lisitski, 2019). Moreover, victims of violence become empowered when they gain power and access to resources (Busch & Valentine, 2000).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the homelessness crisis, particularly among women, children, and the youth aging out of foster is a complex issue as this population is affected physically, psychologically, and emotionally. WIN NYC is making significant strides towards providing vital services to assist women and children in eradicating homelessness in NYC. Many support services and programs are available in homeless shelters to help this vulnerable population to help combat this crisis. However, many homeless individuals are turned away due to a lack of space and funding. Some shelter residents do not receive adequate services to fulfill their needs and are dissatisfied, influencing their decision to stay or leave shelters, affecting their safety. As services and programs are developed, program evaluations are essential to ensure that shelter residents’ needs are met.
References
Busch, N., & Valentine, D. (2000). Empowerment Practice: A Focus on Battered Women. Affilia, 15(1), 82–95. https://doi.org/10.1177/08861090022093840
Fisher, E. M., & Stylianou, A. M. (2016). To stay or to leave: Factors influencing victims’ decisions to stay or leave a domestic violence emergency shelter. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34(4), 785–811. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260516645816Gewirtz, A. H. (2010). Homeless shelters, permanent/supportive housing, and transitional housing. Moving from Evidence to Action: The Safe Start Series on Children Exposed to Violence (6). https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/243306.pdfGolabek-Goldman, S. (2017). Ban the address: combating employment discrimination against the homeless. Yale Law Journal, 126(6), 1788+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A493945988/AONE?u=cuny_johnjay&sid=AONE&xid=fa6f2b5d
Hong, S., & Piescher, K. (2012). The role of supportive housing in homeless children’s well-being: An investigation of child welfare and educational outcomes. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(8), 1440–1447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.03.025
Lehmann, E. R., Kass, P. H., Drake, C. M., & Nichols, S. B. (2007). Risk factors for first-time homelessness in low-income women. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(1), 20–28. https://doi-org.ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/10.1037/0002-9432.77.1.20Lisitski, J. (2019). The Use of Trauma-Informed Care in Programs Serving Families Experiencing Homelessness. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. https://www-proquest-com.ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/docview/2226614974?pq-origsite=primo
NYC Department of Homeless Services (2021). Stats and Reports: DHS Data Dashboard Charts FYTD 2021. https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dhs/downloads/pdf/dashboard/FYTD21-DHS-Data-Dashboard-Charts.pdf
O’Regan, K., Ellen, I., & House, S. (2021). How to Address Homelessness: Reflections from Research. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 693(1), 322–332. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716221995158
Otokiti, A. U., & Alabi, O. (2018). Challenges faced by the homeless population in New York City: An analysis of healthcare delivery and utilization of care. New York Medical Journal, 12(2). https://newyorkmedicaljournal.org/articles/challenges-faced-by-the-homeless-population-in-new-york-city/Peek-Asa, C., Wallis, A., Harland, K., Beyer, K., Dickey, P., & Saftlas, A. (2011). Rural disparity in domestic violence prevalence and access to resources. Journal of women’s health (2002), 20(11), 1743–1749. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2011.2891Reid, N., Kron, A., Rajakulendran, T., Kahan, D., Noble, A., & Stergiopoulos, V. (2020). Promoting Wellness and Recovery of Young Women Experiencing Gender-Based Violence and Homelessness: The Role of Trauma-Informed Health Promotion Interventions. Violence Against Women. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801220923748Sharma, A., & Borah, S. (2020). Covid-19 and Domestic Violence: an Indirect Path to Social and Economic Crisis. Journal of Family Violence, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-020-00188-8
Verulava, T., Jorbenadze, R., Bedianashvili, G., & Dangadze, B. (2020). Challenges Faced by Youth Aging Out of Foster Care: Homelessness, Education, and Employment. Euromentor Journal, 11(3), 104-116. https://ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/scholarly-journals/challenges-faced-youth-aging-out-foster-care/docview/2507561564/se-2?accountid=11724
WIN. (2020). The Aftermath Plan: Responding to homelessness in the wake of Covid-19. https://winnyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/final-5.8_The-Aftermath-of-COVID-19-Preparing-for-and-Responding-to-Housing-Instabilityv2.pdf