Violent Crime in the Lives of Homeless Female Ex-Offenders.
Adeline M Nyamathi, Benissa E Salem, Elizabeth Hall and 6 others
PMID 28152325WHAT IT FOUND
Among 126 homeless women recently released from prison or jail, less safe housing and more anger were linked to a last violent conviction.
Drug and alcohol use and discriminatory beliefs were not. More affectionate support was linked to fewer prior violent offenses.
Key findings
01In the adjusted model, a one-unit increase in the housing safety score (range 0 to 4) was associated with about a 40% decrease in the odds that the last conviction was for a violent offense (OR=.60, p=.011).
02In the same model, a one-unit increase in the anger/hostility score (range 0 to 3) was associated with a nearly two-fold increase in the odds of a last violent offense (OR=1.93, p<.001).
03The number of prior violent offenses was associated with less affectionate support (OR=.41, p=.001), positive social interactions (OR=2.23, p=.007), and anger/hostility (OR=1.51, p=.015) after controlling for site.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (126 women), so the findings may not generalise to all homeless female ex-offenders. The study was cross-sectional and used baseline data, so it cannot show whether housing safety, anger, support, or substance use came before violent offending. The sample did not include women who spoke languages other than English or Spanish or who had active psychotic symptoms, so findings may not apply to those groups. The analysis could not compare prison versus jail exits because of small numbers and unequal distribution.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that unsafe housing or anger causes violent crime. The study measured current factors and past convictions at one time point, so it cannot show what came first.