ENG102 Research Proposal

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English 102
Professor
October 29, 2023
Research proposal
About 553,000 US citizens are homeless daily, and about 165,000 are children.
Homelessness is not an easy topic that can be addressed in isolation without considering factors
such as prevailing societal attitudes towards the poor and other disadvantaged groups. Reports
estimate that between 20 to 25 percent of those experiencing homelessness have major mental
disorders; others can struggle with alcohol and drug abuse, severe physical disability, or other
health problems. Yet, it is not focused on dealing with the underlying factors contributing to
homelessness but criminalizes it. Homeless person criminalization is a term that entails applying
laws and policies on those who are lost in a way contrary to their rights. Research shows that
over and over again, this phenomenon has been recorded in different cities all over the country,
increasing incarcerations of those who are homeless. Aykanian and Fogel (2019) assert that more
than forty-three percent of cities in the US enact criminal laws restricting these basic acts
required for survival on the street. Some groups are more vulnerable to this problem than others.
It includes people of color, mental health patients, LGBTI community members, etc. As such,
this paper aims to understand how society developed prejudices against homeless people and
why they are treated as criminals.
There are very few studies on criminalizing homeless people without recognizing their
historical and cultural contexts. The research question for this study is: What historical and
cultural factors have led to the criminalization of homelessness in the United States, and how has
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it impacted the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness? The study shall concentrate on
the period between the late 1970s and the modern-day since it is during this period that the
incarceration of homeless people skyrocketed. It will also discuss how media and public views
create a culture of "criminalizing" homelessness.
The basis for this thesis is that homelessness criminalization is based on social prejudices
about poverty and a specific societal group. In the late 1970s US, as it moved more towards non-
welfare states, policies and laws emerged, pushing persons experiencing homelessness out of the
public spaces into the Criminal Justice System. The paper anticipates coming up with the fact
that rather than alleviating homelessness, it only exacerbates the cyclic nature of homelessness.
Besides, it causes other problems, such as mental stress, and hinders access to jobs and
accommodation.
Initial research has revealed several key sources, including Aykanian and Fogel's book
"Homelessness Prevention and Intervention in Social Work: An Encyclopedic Review on the
Criminalization of Homelessness, and its Effects at the Individual and Community Level, title:
"Policies, Programs and Practices." Willison's article, "Ungoverned and Out of Sight: The article,
"Public Health and the Political Crisis of Homelessness in the United States," examines how
criminalization can adversely impact health outcomes for homeless persons. The article by
Borum Chattoo et al., "News portrayals of housing security and homelessness in the United
States," examines the role of mass media in perpetuating the criminalization of homeless people
in the USA.
In summary, the criminalization of homelessness is a complicated matter with firm
foundations in how America views poor people and minorities. This research clarifies that the
criminalization of homelessness contributes to the continuation of poverty and homelessness. It

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further has adverse effects on the affected people's lives through escalated psychological
problems and impediments to shelters and jobs. Society must realize the damage inflicted on
criminals against homeless people and change toward assistance measures. However, more
research must be conducted to explain and eradicate this prevalent problem in America
comprehensively, and I want this study to contribute towards this objective.

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References
Aykanian, A., & Fogel, S. J. (2019). The Criminalization of Homelessness. Homelessness
Prevention and Intervention in Social Work: Policies, Programs, and Practices, 185-205.
Borum Chattoo, C., Young, L., Conrad, D., & Coskuntuncel, A. (2021). “The rent is too damn
high”: news portrayals of housing security and homelessness in the United States. Mass
Communication and Society, 24(4), 553-575. )
Willison, C. E. (2021). Ungoverned and Out of sight: Public health and the political crisis of
homelessness in the United States. Oxford University Press.

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1

October 29, 2023

why they are treated as criminals.

create a culture of "criminalizing" homelessness.

"Homelessness Prevention and Intervention in Social Work: An Encyclopedic Review on the

In summary, the criminalization of homelessness is a complicated matter with firm

criminalization of homelessness contributes to the continuation of poverty and homelessness. It

comprehensively, and I want this study to contribute towards this objective.

Aykanian, A., & Fogel, S. J. (2019). The Criminalization of Homelessness. Homelessness

Communication and Society, 24(4), 553-575. )

homelessness in the United States. Oxford University Press.

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