Criminal Convictions, and Those Who Are Still Left Behind

Crowell’s Note attempts to identify the problems created by discriminatory housing bars based on criminal convictions, the various reform efforts currently at work, and the potential inadequacies of the reforms based on the needs of those most at risk for recidivism. To that end, the Note begins by discussing the prevalence of housing discrimination in both the private and public housing sectors, before pulling from social science to demonstrate the effects of unstable housing or homelessness on individuals just released from jail or prison. The Note then outlinesthe various reform strategies that advocates are using to challenge these bars and discusses both the positive effects of these reforms and their failure to assist those most in need of relief, before finally attempting to identify potential solutions to bridge the gap between the limits of the ongoing reform efforts and the need to provide housing for individuals who have just been released back into society.