housing

When Criminal Charges Equal Homelessness

When Criminal Charges Equal Homelessness

According to the National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction, there are an astonishing 44,778 collateral consequences stemming from criminal convictions. The ubiquity of these consequences mean that a guilty plea rarely involves only probation or a prison sentence; a guilty plea often affects voting rights, employment, housing, public assistance, and citizenship. In the context of sex offenses, a criminal charge and subsequent guilty plea can bar individuals from public and private housing, bar them from homeless shelters, and prohibit them from living in many communities.