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71 Fed. Probation 20 (2007)
Landlord Attitudes toward Renting to Released Offenders

handle is hein.journals/fedpro71 and id is 120 raw text is: Lynn M. Clark, M.PA, J.D. Doctoral Candidate Department of Sociology, University of Akron, Ohio THIS STUDY EXPLORES landlords' per- spectives toward housing released criminal offenders. Prior research has focused on the barriers offenders face in trying to find employment, housing, life stability, solutions for homelessness, or community reentry pro- grams. Housing is often cited as a hurdle to successful reentry, but little research has been done to identify the actual boundaries of this particular hurdle. This study surveyed land- lords in the city of Akron, Ohio regarding their priorities in screening applicants and their histories and attitudes towards hous- ing released offenders. The survey results indicate the need to develop new approaches to re-entry programs and to perform future research, both qualitative and quantitative. Research Question Since most prior research investigated the issue of housing from the released offenders' perspective, it does not adequately address the extent to which a criminal background is an obstacle in obtaining housing. One study that did look at attitudes toward appli- cants with a criminal record provides limited information. Helfgott (1997:20) found Of the property managers and owners surveyed (n = 196), 67 percent indi- cated that they inquire about criminal history on rental applications. Forty- three percent said that they would be inclined to reject an applicant with a criminal conviction. The crimes of particular concern to the property managers who said they would reject an ex-offender applicant were violent offenses (49 percent), sex offenses (37 percent), murder (19 percent), drug offenses (9 percent), all felonies (9 percent), domestic violence (6 per- cent), arson (9 percent), and property offenses (7 percent).(n9) The primary reason for their inclination to reject an applicant with a criminal history was protection and safety of community. The second most offered reason for rejection was that ex-offenders are not wanted on the property or in the neighborhood because they have bad values. One respondent commented, I don't like these people. They should all stay in jail. Of those respondents who did not inquire about criminal history, the main reason offered for not inquiring was that everyone should have another chance. One respondent commented, A person has to live somewhere. Helfgott obtained but did not include in her article information from the landlords who indicated that they would accept an applicant with a criminal history, would house such an applicant or under what cir- cumstances. There are many factors beyond a criminal record that could affect a land- lord's decision to rent or not rent to someone, including credit, rental history (or lack of such a history), income, and employment. If all things are equal between two applicants, what additional criteria are necessary for the released offender to qualify over someone else? Exploring how these factors interact with a criminal history might lead to more focused reentry programs. The first question, however, is to determine how much resis- tance landlords may have towards released offenders and what factors may play a role in the decision to rent to such a person. Literature Review Many aspects of the issues surrounding released offenders have been examined. Recent research on reentry problems and concerns have focused on readjustment (La Vigne, 2004), reintegration (Visher and Travis, 2003), civic re-involvement (Uggen, Manza, and Behrens 2004), attitudes (Kenemore and Roldan, 2006), stigma (Pager, 2003), need for subsidized housing (Holtfreter, 2004), employment (Pager 2003) and others. Articles written specifically on housing tend to address the challenges presented by: the housing market (Scally, 2005; Bradley, et al., 2001; Roman and Travis, 2004); com- munity and neighborhood issues (Levenson, 2005 sex offender registration programs); needs, successes, and failures of homeless shelters (Metraux and Culhane, 2002), reen- try programs that provide transition support to released prisoners (Roman, 2004), and policy issues (Petersilia, 2000). The Urban Institute issued a series of reports from a longitudinal study of released prisoners from four locations (Visher, 2003; La Vigne, et al., 2003; La Vigne, 2004; Sol- omon, 2004; Roman, 2004). The studies consisted of interviews with released offend- ers on a range of topics. In the area of housing, the reports highlighted the fact that while most prisoners expected to live * This research was supported by Grant No. H-21499SG from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of University Partnerships. Points of views or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Volume 71 Number 1 20 FEDERAL PROBATION

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