Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Anthony Fleming

Abstract

This study was designed to explore United States societal members’ perception of the term offender and crime type concerning post-incarceration housing accommodations in the United States. Housing is an essential need for offenders re-entering society and can contribute to recidivism rates. The purpose of this study was to explore United States adult societal members’ perception of the term offender and crime type concerning post-incarceration housing accommodations in the United States. This study included a parallel mixed-method design inspired by Teddlie and Tashakkori. The theoretical framework incorporated Becker’s labeling theory. This study examined the United States adult societal members’ perception of the term offender and crime type concerning post-incarceration housing accommodations in the United States. Quantitative and qualitative data collection methods included secondary data from two Department of Corrections, virtual interview survey, interview, and online publicly available data, which were analyzed separately and interpreted together. One key result was that over 40 participants felt a former offender should still receive post-incarceration housing assistance. Interpreted data led to retaining the null hypothesis. One future study recommendation was to condense survey questions and decrease the number of open-ended questions. The information derived from this study may impact positive social change by assisting society members in becoming more knowledgeable about the labels they hold against someone who was convicted of a crime.

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