Susan Gonzalez Baker

THE MYTH OF PERVASIVE MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG THE HOMELESS

This paper calls into question the double-edged thesis that the majority of the homeless are mentally ill and that the streets of urban America have consequently become the asylums of today. We present data from a triangulated field study of nearly 1,000 unattached homeless adults in Texas that contradict this stereotypic imagery. We also suggest that this root image is due to the medicalization of the problem of homelessness, a misplaced emphasis on the causal role of deinstitutionalization, the heightened visibility of homeless individuals who are mentally ill, and several conceptual and methodological shortcomings of previous attempts to assess the mental status of the homeless. We conclude by arguing that the most common face on the street is not that of the psychiatrically-impaired individual, but of one caught in a cycle of low-paying, dead-end jobs that fail to provide the means to get off and stay off the streets.

Criminality and Homeless Men: An Empirical Assessment

This paper examines the relationship between criminality and homelessness by tracking a random sample of homeless males through the police department records of a large Southwestern city over a 27-month period. When compared with data on criminality in the general population of males within the city over the same period, these data show that while the homeless have a higher overall arrest rate, the majority of offenses for which they are arrested are for public intoxication, followed by theft/shoplifting, violation of city ordinances, and burglary. The findings also suggest that criminality among homeless men varies with time on the streets and contact with the mental health system. Drawing on ethnographic data, these findings are explained in part in terms of criminalization, stigmatization, and adaptation processes. The findings challenge the depiction of homeless men as serious predatory criminals, and suggest a number of theoretical and policy implications.

Implementing the U.S. legalization program: the influence of immigrant communities and local agencies on immigration policy reform

The legalization program of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act was influenced by the behaviors of three local actors in the implementation process: immigrant communities, community-based o...

Explaining the surge in citizenship applications in the 1990s: Lawful permanent residents in Texas

Objective. We explore the increase in citizenship applications in the mid-1990s in order to test popular explanations for them, such as the consequences of IRCA legalization, fear of loss of public benefits, and effects of citizenship outreach programs. Methods. We rely on a nonrandom sample of 526 lawful permanent residents in four Texas cities. About half had applied for citizenship and all were taking affirmative steps via participation in citizenship or English-language classes. Results. Having received amnesty under IRCA predicts rapid application for citizenship upon eligibility but is not associated with greater mastery of the naturalization process or better English skills. Fear of losing eligibility for public benefits and campaigns promoting naturalization motivated about one-quarter of citizenship applicants. Much larger proportions cite their desire to participate fully in American life, to sponsor the immigration of relatives, and to ensure opportunities for their children. The main obstacle they identify is limited English proficiency. Conclusions. Although factors peculiar to the political environment of the 1990s affected many permanent residents, most cited traditional incentives having to do with investment in opportunities for themselves and their families. Our data suggest that the most effective way to facilitate naturalization is to devote more resources to English-language training.