HIV/AIDS and Other Infectious Diseases Among Correctional Inmates: Transmission, Burden, and an Appropriate Response
Theodore M. Hammett, PhD
Theodore M. Hammett is with Abt Associates Inc, Cambridge, Mass.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Theodore M. Hammett, PhD, Abt Associates Inc, 55 Wheeler St, Cambridge, MA 021381168 (email: ted_hammett{at}abtassoc.com).
Correctional inmates engage in drug-related and sexual riskbehaviors, and the transmission of HIV, hepatitis, and sexuallytransmitted diseases occurs in correctional facilities. However,there is uncertainty about the extent of transmission, and hyperbolicdescriptions of its extent may further stigmatize inmates andelicit punitive responses.
Whether infection was acquired within or outside correctionalfacilities, the prevalence of HIV and other infectious diseasesis much higher among inmates than among those in the generalcommunity, and the burden of disease among inmates and releaseesis disproportionately heavy. A comprehensive response is needed,including voluntary counseling and testing on request that islinked to high-quality treatment, disease prevention education,substance abuse treatment, and discharge planning and transitionalprograms for releasees.
This article has been cited by other articles:
I A Binswanger, P M Krueger, and J F Steiner Prevalence of chronic medical conditions among jail and prison inmates in the USA compared with the general population
J Epidemiol Community Health,
November 1, 2009;
63(11):
912 - 919.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
S. D. Weiser, T. B. Neilands, M. L. Comfort, S. E. Dilworth, J. Cohen, J. P. Tulsky, and E. D. Riley Gender-Specific Correlates of Incarceration Among Marginally Housed Individuals in San Francisco
Am J Public Health,
August 1, 2009;
99(8):
1459 - 1463.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
N. T. Harawa, T. A. Bingham, Q. R. Butler, K. S. Dalton, W. E. Cunningham, S. Behel, and D. A. MacKellar Using Arrest Charge to Screen for Undiagnosed HIV Infection Among New Arrestees: A Study in Los Angeles County
Journal of Correctional Health Care,
April 1, 2009;
15(2):
105 - 117.
[Abstract][PDF]
K. Clements-Nolle, R. Marx, M. Pendo, E. Loughran, M. Estes, and M. Katz Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Use and HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors Among Individuals Who Are HIV Infected and Were Recently Released From Jail
Am J Public Health,
April 1, 2008;
98(4):
661 - 666.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
E. G. Romero, L. A. Teplin, G. M. McClelland, K. M. Abram, L. J. Welty, and J. J. Washburn A Longitudinal Study of the Prevalence, Development, and Persistence of HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk Behaviors in Delinquent Youth: Implications for Health Care in the Community
Pediatrics,
May 1, 2007;
119(5):
e1126 - e1141.
[Abstract][Full Text][PDF]
B. W. Fletcher, W. E. K. Lehman, H. K. Wexler, and G. Melnick Who Participates in the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJ-DATS)?
The Prison Journal,
March 1, 2007;
87(1):
25 - 57.
[Abstract][PDF]