Where Imprisonment, Housing Instability and Wellbeing Intersect: Evidence From Over Two Decades of Data

This study draws on life event data on housed former prisoners from the nationwide indefinite life panel, Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, spanning more than two decades. This study investigates, using panel data methods, if social connectedness mediates the association between incarceration and unstable housing and if social connectedness explains away the association between incarceration and life satisfaction. The results indicate that former prisoners experience higher housing instability, holding socio‐demographic covariates constant, statistically significant at the 1% level. Furthermore, social connectedness partially mediates the association between incarceration in the last 12 months and housing instability, statistically significant at the 1% level. The results also show that incarceration in the last 12 months and housing instability are independently associated with comparably lower levels of life satisfaction, statistically significant at the 1% level. Further, social connectedness partially mediates the association between housing instability and life satisfaction.