Homelessness and incarceration are closely linked among women, and rates of these marginalizing circumstances are increasing. Nonetheless, few studies have examined differences between female inmates who were previously homeless and female inmates who were not homeless prior to incarceration. Results indicated that women who were homeless prior to incarceration were more likely (relative to their non-homeless counterparts) to have experienced childhood molestation, adult sexual assault, and arrests for prostitution and to have been in treatment for substance misuse. Homeless and non-homeless women did not differ significantly on measures of psychological adjustment. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research will be discussed.
AgnewRobert. (1992). Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency. Criminology, 30, 47-87.
2.
AsbergK.RenkK. (2012). Substance use coping as a mediator of the relationship between trauma symptoms and substance use consequences in incarcerated females with childhood sexual abuse histories. Substance Use & Misuse, 47, 799-808.
3.
AsbergK.RenkK. (2013). Comparing incarcerated and college student women with a history of childhood sexual abuse: The role of abuse severity, support, and substance use. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 5, 167-175.
4.
AsbergK.RenkK. (2014). Perceived social support and external locus of control as predictors of psychological adjustment among incarcerated females with or without a history of childhood maltreatment. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 58, 59-84.
5.
BassukE. L.BucknerJ. C.WeinrebL. F.BrowneA.BassukS. S.DawsonR.PerloffJ. N. (1997). Homelessness in female-headed families: Childhood and adult risk and protective factors. American Journal of Public Health, 87, 241-248.
BegunA. L.HammondG. C. (2012). CATCH court: A novel approach to “treatment as alternative to incarceration” for women engaged in prostitution and substance abuse. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 12, 328-331.
8.
BegunA. L.RoseS. J.LeBelT. O. (2011). Intervening with women in jail around alcohol and substance abuse during preparation for community reentry. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 29, 453-478.
9.
BelcherJ.R.DeForgeB.R. (2012). Social stigma and homelessness: The limits of social change. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 22, 929-946.
10.
BowlesM. A.DehartD.WebbJ. (2012). Family influences on female offenders’ substance use: The role of adverse childhood events among incarcerated women. Journal of Family Violence, 27, 681-686.
11.
BradleyR.DavinoK. (2002). Women’s perceptions of the prison environment: When prison is “the safest place I’ve ever been.”Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 351-359.
12.
BriereJ.RuntzM. (1989). The trauma symptom checklist (TSC-33): Early data on a new scale. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 4, 151–163.
13.
BrowneA. (1993). Family violence and homelessness: The relevance of trauma histories in the lives of homeless women. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 63, 370-384.
14.
BrowneA.BassukS. S. (1997). Intimate violence in the lives of homeless and poor housed women: Prevalence and patterns in an ethnically diverse sample. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 67, 261-278.
15.
BrowneA.MillerB.MaguinE. (1999). Prevalence and severity of lifetime physical and sexual victimization among incarcerated women. International Journal of Psychiatry, 22, 301-322.
16.
BrowneA.SalomonA.BassukS. S. (1999). The impact of recent partner violence on poor women’s capacity to maintain work. Violence Against Women, 5, 393-426.
17.
BuchananM.MurphyK.Smith-MartinM.KorchinskiM.BuxtonJ.Granger-BrownA.. . .MartinR. E. (2011). Understanding incarcerated women’s perspectives on substance use: Catalysts, reasons for use, consequences, and desire for change. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 50, 81-100.
18.
BucknerJ. C.BassukE. L.ZimaB. T. (1993). Mental health issues affecting homeless women: Implications for intervention. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 63, 385-399.
19.
ChoR. M. (2010). Maternal incarceration and children’s adolescent outcomes: Timing and dosage. Social Service Review, 84, 257-282.
20.
ChurchS.HendersonM.BarnardM.HartG. (2001). Violence by clients towards female prostitutes in different work settings. British Medical Journal, 322, 524-525.
21.
CooperM. L.RussellM.SkinnerJ. B.WindleM. (1992). Development and validation of a three-dimensional measure of drinking motives. Psychological Assessment, 4, 123-132.
22.
CortinaJ. M. (1993). What is coefficient alpha? An examination of theory and applications. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 98-104.
23.
CovingtonS. S. (1998). Women in prison: Approaches in the treatment of our most invisible population. Women & Therapy, 20, 141-155.
24.
DashoraP.SlesnickN.ErdemJ. (2012). “Understand my side, my situation, my story”: Insights into the service needs among service-abusing homeless mothers. Journal of Community Psychology, 40, 938-950.
25.
DavidD. H.GelbergL.SuchmanN. E. (2012). Implications of homelessness for parenting of young children: A preliminary review from a developmental attachment perspective. Infant Mental Health Journal, 33, 1-9.
26.
DeHartD. D. (2008). Pathways to prison: Impact of victimization in the lives of incarcerated women. Violence Against Women, 14, 1362-1380.
27.
DeHartD. D.AltshulerS. J. (2009). Violence exposure among children of incarcerated mothers. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 26, 467-479.
28.
EdensE. L.MaresA. S.RosenheckR. A. (2011). Chronically homeless women report high rates of substance use problems equivalent to chronically homeless men. Women’s Health Issues, 21, 383-389.
29.
EvansR.ForsythC. (2004). Risk factors, endurance of victimization and survival strategies: The impact of the structural location of men and women on the experiences within homeless milieus. Sociological Spectrum, 24, 479-505.
30.
Eyrich-GargK. M.O’LearyC. C.CottlerL. B. (2008). Subjective versus objective definitions of homelessness: Are there differences in risk factors among heavy-drinking women?Gender Issues, 25, 173-195.
31.
FertigA.ReingoldD. (2008). Homelessness among at-risk families with children in twenty American cities. Social Service Review, 82, 485-510.
32.
Finfgeld-ConnettD. (2010). Becoming homeless, being homeless, and resolving homelessness among women. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 31, 461-469.
33.
FordJ. D. (2012). Ethnoracial and educational differences in victimization history, trauma-related symptoms, and coping style. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 4, 177-185.
34.
FrothinghamT. E.HobbsC. J.WynneJ. M.YeeL.GoyalA.WadsworthD. J. (2000). Follow up study eight years after diagnosis of sexual abuse. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 83, 132-134.
35.
GelbergL.AndersonR.LongshoreD.LeakeB.NyamathiA.TeruyaC.AranguaL. (2009). Hospitalizations among homeless women: Are there ethnic and drug abuse disparities?Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, 36, 212-232.
36.
GolderS.LoganT. K. (2007). Correlates and predictors of women’s sex trading over time among a sample of out-of-treatment drug users. AIDS Behavior, 11, 628-640.
37.
GoodmanL. A.SaxeL.HarveyM. (1991). Homelessness as psychological trauma: Broadening perspectives. American Psychologist, 46, 1219-1225.
38.
GraysonC. E.Nolen-HoeksemaS. (2005). Motives to drink as mediators between childhood sexual assault and alcohol problems in adult women. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 18, 137–145.
39.
GreenH. D.Jr.TuckerJ. S.WenzelS. L.GolinelliD.KennedyD. P.RyanG. W.ZhouA. J. (2012). Association of childhood abuse with homeless women’s social networks. Child Abuse & Neglect, 36, 21-31.
40.
GreenbergG. A.RosenheckR. A. (2008). Jail incarceration, homelessness, and mental health: A national study. Psychiatric Services, 59, 170–177.
41.
GreenbergG. A.RosenheckR. A. (2010). Mental health correlates of past homelessness in the national comorbidity study replication. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 21, 1234-1249.
42.
HamiltonA. B.PozaI.WashingtonD. L. (2011). “Homelessness and trauma go hand-in- hand”: Pathways to homelessness among women veterans. Women’s Health Issues, 21, S203-S209.
43.
HattonD. C.KlefferD.FisherA. A. (2006). Prisoners’ perspectives of health problems and healthcare in a US women’s jail. Women & Health, 44, 119-136.
HermanD. B.SusserE. S.StrueningE. L.LinkB. L. (1997). Adverse childhood experiences: Are they risk factors for adult homelessness?American Journal of Public Health, 87, 249-255.
46.
HeslinK. C.RobinsonP. L.BakerR. S.GelbergL. (2007). Community characteristics and violence against homeless women in Los Angeles county. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 18, 203-218.
47.
HlavkaH. R.KruttschnittC.Carbone-LópezK. C. (2007). Revictimizing the victims? Interviewing women about interpersonal violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22, 894-920.
48.
HudsonA. L.WrightK.BhattacharyaD.SinhaK.NyamathiA.MarfiseeM. (2010). Correlates of adult assault among homeless women. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 21, 1250-1262.
49.
HueyL.FthenosG.HryniewiczD. (2013). “If something happened, I will leave it, let it go and move on”: Resiliency and victimized homeless women’s attitudes toward mental health counseling. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28, 295-319.
50.
IngramK. M.CorningA. F.SchmidtL. D. (1996). The relationship of victimization experiences to psychological well-being among homeless women and low-income housed women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43, 218-277.
51.
Islam-ZwartK. A.VikP. W. (2004). Female adjustment to incarceration as influenced by sexual history. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 31, 521–541.
52.
JamesD. (2004). Profile of jail inmates, 2002 (NCJ 201932). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
53.
JasinskiJ. L.WeselyJ. K.WrightJ. D.MustaineE. E. (2010). Hard lives, mean streets: Violence in the lives of homeless women. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press.
54.
JohnsonK. A.LynchS. M. (2013). Predictors of maladaptive coping in incarcerated women who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Journal of Family Violence, 28, 43-52.
55.
JohnsonT.FreeksS.ParsonsJ.VangeestJ. (1997). Substance abuse and homelessness: Social selection or social adaptation?Addiction, 92, 437-445.
56.
JonzonE.LindbladF. (2006). Risk factors and protective factors in relation to subjective health among adult female victims of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 30, 127–143.
57.
KossM. P.GidyczC. A. (1985). Sexual experiences survey: Reliability and validity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 422-423.
58.
KossM. P.OrosC. J. (1982). Sexual experiences survey: A research instrument investigating sexual aggression and victimization. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 455-457.
59.
KushelM. B.EvansJ.PerryS.RobertsonM.MossA. (2003). No door to lock: Victimization among homeless and marginally housed persons. Archives of Internal Medicine, 163, 2492-2499.
60.
KushelM. B.HahnJ. A.EvansJ. L.BangsbergD. R.MossA. R. (2005). Revolving door: Imprisonment among the homeless and marginally housed populations. American Journal of Public Health, 95, 1747-1752.
61.
LinkB.PhelanJ.BresnahanM.StueveA.MooreR.SusserE. (1995). Lifetime and five-year prevalence of homelessness in the United States: New evidence on an old debate. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 65, 347-354.
62.
LoganT.ColeJ.LeukefeldC. (2003). Gender differences in the context of sex exchange among individuals with a history of crack use. AIDS Education and Prevention, 15, 448-464.
63.
LynchS. M.FritchA.HeathN. M. (2012). Looking beneath the surface: The nature of incarcerated women’s experiences of interpersonal violence, treatment needs, and mental health. Feminist Criminology, 7, 381-400.
64.
LynchS. M.HeathN. M.MathewsK. C.CepedaG. J. (2012). Seeking safety: An intervention for trauma-exposed incarcerated women?Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 13, 88-101.
65.
MartinR. E.HansonD.HemingwayC.RamsdenV.BuxtonJ.Granger-BrownA.. . .HislopT. G. (2012). Homelessness as viewed by incarcerated women: Participatory research. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 8, 108-116.
66.
McNaughtonC. C. (2008). Transitions through homelessness, substance use, and the effect of material marginalization and psychological trauma. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 15, 177-188.
67.
Messman-MooreT. L.LongP. J.SiegfriedN. J. (2000). The revictimization of child sexual abuse survivors: An examination of the adjustment of college women with child sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and adult physical abuse. Child Maltreatment, 5, 18–27.
68.
MetrauxS.CulhaneD. P. (2006). Recent incarceration history among a sheltered homeless population. Crime and Delinquency, 52, 504-517.
69.
MinerM. H.FlitterJ. M.RobinsonB. E. (2006). Association of sexual revictimization with sexuality and psychological function. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 503-524.
70.
MintonT. D. (2011). Jail inmates at midyear 2010: Statistical tables. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
71.
MurrayS. (2011). Violence against homeless women: Safety and social policy. Australian Social Work, 64, 346-360.
72.
NajavitsL. M. (2002). Seeking safety: A treatment manual for PTSD and substance abuse. New York, NY: Guilford.
NickelJ.GarlandC.KaneL. (2009). Children of incarcerated parents: An action plan for federal policymakers. New York, NY: Council of State Governments Justice Center.
77.
OrwinR.ScottC.ArieiraC. (2005). Transitions through homelessness and the factors that predict them: Three-year treatment outcomes. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 28, S23-S39.
78.
PeltanJ. R.CellucciT. (2011). Childhood sexual abuse and substance abuse treatment utilization among substance-dependent incarcerated women. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 41, 215-224.
79.
PonceA. N.Staeheli LawlessM.RoweM. (2014). Homelessness, behavioral health disorders and intimate partner violence: Barriers to services for women. Community Mental Health Journal. Advance online publication. doi:10.1007/s10597-014-9712-0
80.
PotterR. H.LinH.MazeA.BjoringD. (2011). The health of jail inmates: The role of jail population “flow” in community mental health. Criminal Justice Review, 36, 470-486.
81.
RaederM. S. (2012). Special issue: Making a better world for children of incarcerated parents. Family Court Review, 50, 23-35.
82.
RajA.RoseJ.DeckerM. R.RosengardC.HebertM. R.SteinM.ClarkeJ. G. (2008). Prevalence and patterns of sexual assault across the lifespan among incarcerated females. Violence Against Women, 14, 528-541.
83.
RayburnN.WenzelS. L.ElliottM. N.HambarsoomiansK.MarshallG. N.TuckerJ. S. (2005). Trauma, depression, coping, and mental health service seeking among impoverished women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 667-677.
84.
RichieB. E. (2001). Challenges incarcerated women face as they return to their communities: Findings from life history interviews. Journal of Crime and Delinquency, 47, 368-389.
85.
ScottC. K.DennisM. L. (2012). The first 90 days following release from jail: Findings from the Recovery Management Checkups for Women Offenders (RMCWO) experiment. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 125, 110-118.
86.
SennT. E.CareyM. P.VanableP. A. (2008). Childhood and adolescent sexual abuse and subsequent sexual risk behavior: Evidence from controlled studies, methodological critique, and suggestions for research. Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 711-735.
87.
SharpS. F.PeckB. M.HartsfieldJ. (2012). Childhood adversity and substance use of women prisoners: A general strain theory approach. Journal of Criminal Justice, 40, 202-211.
88.
SheltonK. H.TaylorP. J.BonnerA.van den BreeM. (2009). Risk factors for homelessness: Evidence from a population-based study. Psychiatric Services, 60, 465-472.
89.
ShierM. L.JonesM. E.GrahamJ. R. (2011). Sociocultural factors to consider when addressing the vulnerability of social service users: Insights from women experiencing homelessness. Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 26, 367-381.
90.
SimonsR. L.WhitbeckL. B. (1991). Sexual abuse as a precursor to prostitution and victimization among adolescent and adult homeless women. Journal of Family Issues, 12, 361-379.
91.
SmythK. F.GoodmanL.GlennC. (2006). The full-frame approach: A new response to marginalized women left behind by specialized services. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76, 489-502.
92.
SpeirV.JohnsonM.JirojwongS. (2013). A systematic review of interventions for homeless women. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 22, 1080-1093.
93.
SteinJ. A.LeslieM. B.NyamathiA. (2002). Relative contributions of parent substance use and childhood maltreatment to chronic homelessness, depression, and substance abuse problems among homeless women: Mediating roles of self-esteem and abuse in adulthood. Child Abuse & Neglect, 26, 1011-1027.
94.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2011). Current statistics on the prevalence and characteristics of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from http://homeless.samhsa.gov/ResourceFiles/hrc_factsheet.pdf
95.
TischlerV.RademeyerA.VostanisP. (2007). Mothers experiencing homelessness: Mental health, support, and social care needs. Health and Social Care in the Community, 15, 246-253.
96.
ToniganJ. S.MillerW. R. (2002). The inventory of drug use consequences (InDUC): Test-retest stability and sensitivity to detect change. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 16, 165-168.
97.
TripodiS. J.Pettus-DavisC. (2013). Histories of childhood victimization and subsequentmental health problems, substance use, and sexual victimization for a sample of incarcerated women in the US. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 36, 30-40.
98.
TusherC. P.CookS. L. (2010). Comparing revictimization in two groups of marginalized women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25, 1893-1911.
van OlphenJ.EliasonM. J.FreudenbergN.BarnesM. (2009). Nowhere to go: How stigma limits the options of female drug users after release from jail. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 4, 1-10.
101.
WagnerJ. K.PerrineR. M. (1994). Women at risk for homelessness: Comparison between housed and homeless women. Psychological Reports, 75, 1671-1678.
102.
WarrenJ. I.HurtS.Booker LoperA.ChauhanP. (2004). Exploring prison adjustment among female inmates: Issues of measurement and prediction. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 31, 624-645.
103.
WeiserS. D.NeilandsT. B.ComfortM. L.DilworthS. E.CohenJ.TulskyJ. P.RileyE. D. (2009). Gender-specific correlates of incarceration among marginally housed individuals in San Francisco. American Journal of Public Health, 99, 1459-1463.
104.
WenzelS.TuckerJ.ElliottM.MarshallG.WilliamsonS. (2004). Physical violence against impoverished women: A longitudinal analysis of risk and protective factors. Women’s Health Issues, 14, 144-154.
105.
WeselyJ. K. (2006). Considering the context of women’s violence: Gender, lived experiences, and cumulative victimization. Feminist Criminology, 1, 303-328.
106.
WhiteK.WoodM. (2011). Psychosocial predictors of rule following in hostels for women experiencing homelessness. Journal of Community Psychology, 39, 258-273.
107.
WidomC. S.KuhnsJ. B. (1996). Childhood victimization and subsequent risk for promiscuity, prostitution, and teenage pregnancy: A prospective study. American Journal of Public Health, 86, 1607-1612.
108.
WildemanC. (2009). Parental incarceration, the prison boom, and the concentration of childhood disadvantage. Demography, 46, 265-280.
109.
WilliamsJ. K.HallJ. A. (2009). Stress and traumatic stress: How do past events influence current traumatic stress among mothers experiencing homelessness?Social Work Research, 33, 199-207.
110.
WongY. L.PiliavinI. (2001). Stressors, resources, and distress among homeless persons: A longitudinal analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 52, 1029-1042.
111.
YeaterE. A.AustinJ. L.GreenM. J.SmithJ. E. (2010). Coping mediates the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol use in homeless, ethnically diverse women: A preliminary study. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2, 307-310.
