Doctoral Dissertation Research: Criminal Records and Housing Discrimination: An Audit Study

在过去的40年里，有犯罪记录的美国人口比例急剧增加，研究记录了犯罪记录如何造成并加强了就业、健康和其他结果的不平等。然而，人们对犯罪记录如何影响住房供应知之甚少。该项目将确定在住房申请程序的早期阶段利用犯罪记录取消申请者资格的普遍性和范围。它还将检查房东在考虑犯罪历史时是否存在种族差异。它考察了社区的不利条件是否会造成犯罪记录的污名效应。最后，它促进了对房东如何权衡犯罪背景调查以及他们如何实施最近要求在这些交易中使用犯罪历史的法律变化的理解。项目结果将使人们更好地了解美国的住房政策是如何运作的，特别是那些有犯罪背景的人。这个项目包括实地试验和定性访谈。一项基于电子邮件的租赁住房审计研究将涉及联系房东并询问出租物业。这些电子邮件将显示潜在申请者的种族和犯罪历史状况。审计研究将与采访房东，了解他们如何在申请过程中使用犯罪历史，以及他们对最近在此类评估中使用犯罪记录的政策变化的了解。这项研究将有助于更多关于刑事司法联系的持久影响的研究结果，以及关于物业管理人员如何适应和遵守政策变化的社会法律研究。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The proportion of the U.S. population with a criminal record has dramatically increased during the past four decades, and research has documented the ways in which a criminal record creates and reinforces inequalities in employment, health, and other outcomes. However, less is known about how a criminal record affects access to housing. This project will identify the prevalence and scope of criminal record use to disqualify applicants at an early stage of the housing application process. It will also detect whether there are racial disparities in the consideration of criminal histories by landlords. It examines if neighborhood disadvantage conditions the stigmatizing effect of a criminal record. Finally, it advances understanding of how landlords weigh criminal background checks and how they implement recent changes in the laws that require use of criminal histories in these transactions. Project findings will provide greater understanding of how U.S. housing policy is working, particularly for those with criminal backgrounds.This project consists of a field experiment and qualitative interviews. An email-based audit study of rental housing units will involve contacting landlords and inquiring to see the rental properties. These emails will signal race and the criminal history status of the potential applicants. The audit study will be paired with interviews with landlords about how they use criminal histories in the application process, and their understanding of recent policy changes regarding criminal record use in such evaluations. This research will contribute to a growing body of findings on the durable effects of criminal justice contact, as well as socio-legal research on how property managers adapt to and comply with policy changes. It also contributes to sociological theories focused on discrimination, racial inequality and urban residence.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.