Research by Author & Topic

Publications by Caterina Gouvis Roman on Crime and Justice

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Corporation for Supportive Housing Ohio Office developed a pilot program that provides permanent supportive housing to individuals released from several Ohio prisons. The Pilot intends to reduce recidivism and homelessness/shelter usage and decrease the costs associated with multiple service system use. The Urban Institute is evaluating the Pilot to explore whether it is meeting its intended goals. This Interim Report covers the first year of the evaluation—describing the Pilot and its eligibility requirements; the UI evaluation methods; and the characteristics and preliminary outcomes of the Pilot's first 57 clients.

Overcrowded jails and more spending for incarceration aren't predestined. In a Philadelphia Daily News commentary, two Urban Institute researchers explain how programs to help repeat offenders return successfully to society can cut crime and save money.

This report investigates the relationship between alcohol availability, type of alcohol establishment, distribution policies and violence and disorder at the block group level in the District of Columbia. We test whether density of alcohol outlets influences: (1) aggravated assault incidents, (2) calls for service for social "disorder" offenses, and (3) calls for service for a domestic incident, and examine variation in outcomes by time of day/day of week. Spatial econometric regression models are estimated using an information theoretic approach. The findings indicate that on-premise outlets, but not off-premise outlets are a significant predictor of aggravated assault.

This report provides a comprehensive review of the acute and lasting impact of Hurricane Katrina on the criminal justice system of New Orleans. Using interviews with criminal justice stakeholders living and working in greater New Orleans, the authors examine the state of the criminal justice system before the storm, the impact of the storm on each branch of the system, and how those branches operate today. The final sections of the report discuss policy considerations and how lessons learned from Katrina can be applied to assist jurisdictions across the country should they be confronted with natural or man-made shocks to the systems charged with keeping residents safe.

This policy brief presents findings from interviews with stakeholders-specific persons or organizations-familiar with issues affecting individuals transitioning from prison to the community in Cleveland, Ohio. We interviewed service providers, local government officials, criminal justice practitioners, and civic leaders. The brief expands the prisoner reentry dialog to incorporate the voices of those in the community who are dedicated to improving reentry for men and women returning home. We discuss their perceptions of barriers and issues affecting successful reentry, solutions and suggested changes to policy and practice, and the role that government agencies can play in successful reentry.

In this letter to The Charlotte Observer editor, Caterina Roman explains that the recent surge in drug use and other high-risk behaviors among young Latinos can be a sign of their adjustment to the American culture and that the only way to prevent this is to understand the process of acculturation.

This report examines the housing landscape of prisoner reentry in the District of Columbia through an analysis of neighborhoods that had high rates of returning prisoners and a survey of housing-related providers. This report fills important gaps in information vital to the District's continuing efforts to implement effective strategies for reintegrating and supervising returning parolees. More specifically, this research has been developed to provide a framework for understanding what types of housing and housing support services exist in the geographic areas to which persons leaving prison return, and to document the needs of communities from the viewpoint of the service providers. The ultimate goal is to sharpen the community's thinking on the issue of housing and prisoner reintegration, and to foster policy innovations that will improve outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.

This report discusses housing options for persons with mental illness who have had contact with the criminal justice system. While several housing models exist to serve this population, there is little evaluation research from which to draw conclusions about what works. To create a foundation from which to examine promising practices, the report presents a continuum of housing options and explores the common characteristics and elements among housing models. It also discusses the variety of "reentry" points after individual contact with the justice system and reflects on how the type of reentry may influence opportunities for and success in housing.

This report examines how those who have spent time in prison or jail fare in securing safe and affordable housing following their release and discusses housing programming and practice designed to assist them. First, the report discusses what is known about the barriers to housing for those returning from prisons and jails. Then, the report summarizes the proceedings from a one-day forum with experts in housing and corrections policy and practice. Last, the report highlights a number of promising housing programs available to returning prisoners and ex-offenders.

The Opportunity to Succeed (OPTS) program was designed to reduce substance abuse relapse and criminal recidivism by providing comprehensive, case-managed reentry services to felony offenders who had drug offense histories. This article describes how a process and impact evaluation of the multisite OPTS program illuminates the importance of employment and related services for returning prisoners.