Court-imposed fines as a feature of the homelessness-incarceration nexus: a cross-sectional study of the relationship between legal debt and duration of homelessness in Seattle, Washington, USA

摘要

Background Legal system involvement is a policy-driven risk factor for homelessness. Legal financial obligations (LFOs), such as court fees, fines and restitution, can endanger the financial security of those ensnared in the criminal justice system. In this study we measured the effect of incarceration and LFOs on duration of homelessness in Seattle, WA, USA.