Relationships can be beautiful, enriching and fulfilling. Most romantic relationships develop into civil unions or marriage. Becoming a dyad expands the availability of resources that may not be obtainable individually. Resources such as health benefits, life insurance policies, joint Tax returns, and land or homes. Among all the benefits and resources made available through marriage, gaining land or a home is by far one of the most beneficial assets one can gain.

Police accountability involves holding both individual police officers, as well as law enforcement agencies responsible for effectively delivering basic services of crime control and maintaining order, while treating individuals fairly and within the bounds of law. ​

Was this judge also a lawyer?¹ I had a feeling he wasn’t. I’d heard him before I saw him perched upon the bench — but I’d grown up around hogs, so I knew how people screamed at animals. I leaned against the wall and followed the herd ahead of me. The amounts that I’d overheard given for bail were outrageous — I wondered if I could talk to this guy?

Have you ever been intimated or have had a loved one face a fatal encounter with police?  These encounters seem to be happening more and more likely in Brown and Black communities despite people of color being the least likely to call the cops. They fear the police escalating the situation and fear for the lives of their family. According to “Justice cant wait packet” made by Houston social justice groups along with others. It shows that Black Houstonians makeup, just 23% of the population, but 36% of police stops, 49% of citation- eligible arrests, and 63% of those shot by Houston Police Department. The current metro area population of Houston in 2021 is 6,491,000, a 1.88% increase from 2020.

I’d been charged with felony theft, which I didn’t understand whatsoever at the time. But these hard faces full of hatred inside of the police department, informed me of a more conflicted time ahead of me. I was struggling to remember any working numbers, having now been so dependent upon a cell phone at 19 years old. I was immensely disappointed with myself and before my tears broke through, I realized the truth at hand: I didn’t have any money on me. Truth be told, I didn’t have any money in my checking account. 

I worked in Jordan, which is an Arab country in southwest Asia.  Jordan is bordered by Israel to the west, Syria to the north and Iraq to the east. I lived in a tent with 100 other women. There was one showering facility to accommodate all the women on the site. Inside of the shower facilities were Ten shower heads, for all the women on the site. Approximately 134 women resided on the site, so easy math will show that we did not have an adequate living arrangement. ​

Juneteenth, signifies the day of freedom for all slaves. It is known as the longest running African American holiday, a day long celebration for our independence. In honor of recognizing our ancestors history, it feels befitting to also recognize those that continue to struggle against a similar powerless position. Just last year in 2020, Congress Democrats proposed a resolution to the exception clause in the 13th Amendment that permits, what prisoners call “modern day slavery. The clause states, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

I have lost count of the many times I have heard women, both family members and friends coo over men they considered “tall, dark, and handsome.” And for some of those women, the taller and darker, the better! These characteristics were always discussed as something to admire in men, but what happens when those very characteristics put those same men’s lives in danger?

The fifth and fourteenth amendments of the U.S Constitution declares protections for the accused. It says defendants are “Innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” So why is it that 6 out of 10 people are housed in jail awaiting trial? The answer, they are unable to post bail. Since 2014, only two states, New Jersey and Alaska have reformed their cash bail system. “These states now give defendants a supervised release or mandatory detention, with the conditions determined with a risk assessment,” which seems fair and logical. The fact that freedom can be bought causes the criminal system to reek of the smell of greed not of justice. So, here are some facts:

People with criminal records in America struggle systematically in many different ways, including, but not limited to voting, education, and even housing. What is arguably the worst part of this is that criminal records are very common in our country. “One in three people in the United States have a criminal record, meaning they are subjected to more than 44,000 associated legal sanctions.”  (Lake, J., 2021). Another issue is that many of these people are either innocent and/or ready to start life anew, but still they are faced with issues that make it hard for them to acquire even the basics that they need to survive. 

Let’s take housing disparities for example, people with criminal records have a much higher chance of homelessness and struggling to find good housing of their own than people without criminal records. “Yet many formerly incarcerated individuals, as well as individuals who were convicted but not incarcerated, encounter significant barriers to securing housing, including public and other federally-subsidized housing because of their criminal history.” (Kanovsky, H., 2016).” Many of them do not have families to live with either, meaning that they end up homeless. Even worse is that if they do have families, there are many cases where their families have to suffer with regards to housing as well because of their criminal record. “In a recent survey of formerly incarcerated people and their families:  79% of survey participants were either ineligible for or denied housing because of their own or a loved one’s conviction history;” (RHC, 2016).  This article also goes on to explain that there is indeed a direct correlation between being homeless and having a criminal record. 

In conclusion, the amount of people with criminal records who end up homeless in America is highly disproportionate, and oftentimes, it is of no fault of their own.  Next to criminal records, the main reason that Americans are denied housing is issues of employment and income, which is also the result of a criminal record for many. What this shows is that many of these people are stuck in a catch 22 situation that it can be nearly impossible to get out of because of systematic restrictions, which is arguably the result of unfair political practice.

Written By: Roshawn C. Evans

Resources
Kanovsky, H. (2016). Office of General Counsel Guidance on Application of Fair Housing Act Standards to the Use of Criminal Records by Providers of Housing and Real Estate-Related Transactions. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 
Lake, J. (2021). Preventing and Removing Barriers to Housing Security for People with 
Criminal Convictions. Center for American Progress.
Reentry and Housing Coalition (RHC). (2016). Housing Access for People With Criminal Records: Statistics. RHC. http://www.reentryandhousing.org/