Fischer P J
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
Hosp Community Psychiatry. 1988 Jan;39(1):46-51. doi: 10.1176/ps.39.1.46.
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.
为了阐明无家可归者（尤其是患有精神疾病的无家可归者）犯罪活动的作用，作者将1983年在巴尔的摩发生的634起无家可归者被捕事件与普通人群中50524起被捕事件进行了比较。在两组被捕者的人口统计学特征以及导致被捕的犯罪类型方面发现了显著差异。在无家可归者中，被捕者更有可能是男性、白人且年龄超过45岁，并且犯的是轻微的、无受害者的罪行。有证据表明，表面上严重的罪行，如指控无家可归者的攻击、盗窃和入室盗窃，往往涉及小偷小摸、进入空置建筑物以及其他旨在在没有住房的情况下维持生计的行为。
