Multivariable modelling of factors associated with criminal convictions among people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness: a multi-year study

People experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness exhibit high rates of criminal justice system involvement. Researchers have debated the causes of such involvement among people experiencing serious mental illness, including what services to prioritize. Some, for example, have emphasized mental illness while others have emphasized poverty. We examined factors associated with criminal convictions among people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness recruited to the Vancouver At Home study. Participants were recruited between October 2009 and June 2011. Comprehensive administrative data were examined over the five-year period preceding study baseline to identify risk and protective factors associated with criminal convictions among participants (n = 425). Eight variables were independently associated with criminal convictions, some of which included drug dependence (RR = 1.53; P = 0.009), psychiatric hospitalization (RR = 1.44; P = 0.030), an irregular frequency of social assistance payments (compared to regular payments; 1.75; P < 0.001), and prior conviction (RR = 3.56; P < 0.001). Collectively, findings of the present study implicate poverty, social marginalization, crises involving mental illness, and the need for long-term recovery-oriented services that address these conditions to reduce criminal convictions among people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness.