Hosp Community Psychiatry 39:46-51, January 1988
© 1988 American Psychiatric Association
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Criminal Activity Among the Homeless: A Study of Arrests in Baltimore
Pamela J. Fischer Ph.D.1
1 Johns Hopkins University, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
To illuminate the role of criminal activity among the homeless, particularly the homeless mentally ill, the author compared 634 arrests of homeless persons with 50,524 arrests in the general population that were made in Baltimore in 1983. Significant differences were found in the demographic characteristics of the two groups of arrested persons and in the types of offenses prompting the arrests. Among the homeless, those arrested were more likely to be male, white, and over age 45 and to have committed trivial, victimless crimes. Evidence suggests that ostensibly serious offenses such as assault, larceny, and burglary charged to homeless persons tended to involve petty thievery, entry into vacant buildings, and other acts aimed at maintaining subsistence in the absence of housing.
Note:
The assistance of the Baltimore Police Department is acknowledged with gratitude. Particular appreciation is owed to former commissioner Bishop L. Robinson, Colonel Michael Zotos, Major Peter Shaulis, Gail Hall, Sergeant Emory Starry, Captain John Reintzell, and Lieutenant Jeffrey Wright.
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