Are Minority Areas Disproportionately Targeted for Halfway House Placement?

Abstract

The geographic placement of halfway houses is an important issue in the field of community corrections. Much research has underscored the social justice issues involved with the subsidization and placement of halfway houses within certain communities. A commonly held belief is that state and local governments actively target lower socioeconomic status, minority communities for the placement of houses, as residents have little power to resist. This article uses data collected on Connecticut towns from 2000 to 2008 and reveals that state-subsidized halfway houses are significantly more likely to be sited in non-White communities with high index crime rates.

KEYTERMS:

• Racial disparity
• community corrections
• halfway houses
• community-based rehabilitation
• NIMBY