Why do we make it so hard to avoid homelessness when we’ve done time and served out a sentence?
The article linked below is written by C.L. Michel, who draws on personal experience with the justice system to illustrate the research of other scholars. Michel also lays out the official barriers that stand in the way of the informal support systems that have helped her to avoid homelessness. She reasonably asks why we don’t seek advice from people with experience of the justice system to craft more effective programs and supports.
Michel is well placed to understand these details having been arrested and spent time in jail more than once. Her experience is not all negative. For example, when a prison social worker recommended against parole, Michel was allowed to put forward her case for parole and was approved for early release. And although she was barred from being in contact with some of the people in her support network, Michel credits that network with making sure that she had a place to stay in the community.
This article has details specific to Ontario, Canada, but Michel’s assessment and experience are worthwhile reading regardless of where you live.
C.L. Michel’s article is published in the Journal of Prisoners and Prisons: Coming Together: Collective Living and Homelessness Amongst Criminalized People
