Housing Restrictions for People with Criminal Records

The intersection of criminal legal system involvement and housing is a pressing social issue. In the United States, individuals with criminal records face significant barriers to stable housing, often leading to a cycle of homelessness and recidivism. This entry explores the multifaceted challenges people with criminal records experience—with a focus on how gender relates to those experiences—and identifies promising solutions. It focuses on people with felony convictions, especially those previously incarcerated, as they experience the most acute barriers to housing. Gender influences the ways in which individuals experience both the criminal legal system and housing instability, highlighting unique challenges and inequities faced by people in relation to crime and reentry.