Housing ex-offenders

Housing and the prevention of re-offending

Research carried out by the Centre of Housing Policy at York University on behalf of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 1996 concluded that ex-prisoners were more likely to re-offend if they did not find satisfactory accommodation on release. Evidence at that time suggested that the general level of housing assistance prisoners received was ‘inadequate.’

The research found:

Although many prisoners had been inadequately housed before going to prison, the great majority wanted to retain their original homes. On release, however, less than half were able to return to their previous home.

Three factors were instrumental in determining whether ex-prisoners succeeded in retaining their homes: the quality of family relationships, the availability of housing benefit, and their financial status.

Housing information in prisons was designed both to help prisoners retain their previous accommodation and enable them to find new accommodation where necessary. However, the provision of information varied widely in the four prisons studied. Many prisoners were disinclined to ask for help and there was confusion about responsibilities among staff. No written guidance or procedures relating to housing advice were located.

Problems faced in re-housing prisoners include:

- Access to independent, mainstream accommodation is increasingly difficult.
- Arranging accommodation other than in hostels prior to release is very difficult.
- Very few ex-prisoners agree to live in a hostel; they are concerned at being drawn into re-offending by contact with other ex-offenders.

The 2002 Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) Report, Reducing Re-offending by Ex-prisoners, found that stable accommodation reduced the risk of re-offending by around 20 per cent while the Rough Sleepers Unit report, Helping Rough Sleepers off the Street (June 2002), found that housing and employment were fundamental to re-establishing a life in the community, addressing specific problems and avoiding re-offending.

Housing ex-offenders
Standard Note: SN/SP/2989
Last updated: 30 March 2010
Author: Wendy Wilson
Section: Social Policy Section

Read full report here: Housing ex-offenders. Social Policy Unit (2010)