Understanding HIV risk behaviors in prison: a qualitative study among recently released inmates

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore HIV risk behaviors of inmates during incarceration and gain an in-depth understanding of the context within which these behaviors occur. Design/methodology/approach -In total, 47 recently released ex-offenders participated in focus group discussions that explored the contexts surrounding inmate engagement in HIV risk behaviors in prison. Data were analyzed using NVivo 7 and results were organized into themes. Findings -Inmates engaged behaviors that could predispose them to HIV infection. These behaviors include unprotected sexual intercourse, transactional sex, injection drug use, tattooing, and body piercing. The results of this study show that the contexts within which risk behaviors occur among inmates are complex, involving inmates, corrections staff, and visitors. The reasons why inmates engage in risk behaviors are also myriad: finance; addiction; boredom; deprivation; prison culture; slack security and monitoring; indifference by correctional officers; and violence. Practical implications -Prevention of risk behaviors and ultimately HIV transmission in prison requires a multi-dimensional ecological approach that focusses on the inmates, prison staff, prison system, policies, and policy makers. Originality/value -This paper attempts to explore HIV risk behaviors of prison inmates. It is of value to health professionals, security agents, administrators, and non-governmental organizations that work with the incarcerated population.

Exploring the Utilization of Structural and Medical Family Therapy With an Incarcerated Mother Living With HIV

“…In an incarcerated facility, there is not one sole solution, rather it is a collection of knowledge shared throughout the professionals that can benefit this population (Gee & Bertrand-Godfrey, 2014). Interestingly, it has been recommended that incarcerated facilities are the perfect contexts for presenting preventive measures, information, and psychoeducational services to individuals who may not have received this valuable information in the community (Abiona, Balogun, Adefuye, & Anguh, 2015).…”

“…Many organizations such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS have made suggestions available to acknowledge HIV prevention and interventions in incarcerated settings (Abiona et al, 2015; WHO/UNODC/UNAIDS, 2007). Many of the interventions that are readily available in the community are unfortunately limited in this setting (Abiona et al, 2015). Health care and medical services in incarcerated facilities differ on a facility to facility basis (Nasrullah et al, 2016;Springer & Altice, 2005).…”

Coordenação do cuidado às pessoas que vivem com HIV no sistema prisional

“…(13) Outro fato a ser ressaltado diz respeito à constituição dos detentos enquanto populações-chave/vulneráveis para o desenvolvimento tanto do HIV, quanto da TB. (17) Isso ocorre em virtude dos comportamentos de risco adotados por essa população, (18) bem como das condições das unidades prisionais, com superlotação e baixa ventilação, dentre outros. (17) Quanto à integração horizontal, três indicadores dessa dimensão foram avaliados de forma satisfatória e apontam as responsabilidades assumidas pelas equipes de saúde das UP no que tange à dispensação da TARV aos detentos e à coleta de exames para o acompanhamento clínico dos sujeitos.…”

Hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus infections within correctional facilities in Ghana

“…Only 4.6% of the prisoners who were drug users before incarceration admittedly were still on drugs after imprisonment [23]. There is no doubt that high-risk behaviours are a key contributing factor in the spread of blood-bourne viruses such as HIV and HBV in correctional facilities as suggested by several studies around the world [17,18,22,23,37]. However, the absence or low incidence of such high-risk behaviours have also been evidently associated with a reduced prevalence of HIV in prisons based on our study.…”

“…Those at high-risk include blood or tissue donors, haemodialysis patients, HIV-positive patients, household members or sexual contact of infected individuals, individuals with conditions that may require immunosuppressive or immune-modifying therapy, infants born to HBV-infected mothers, injection drug users, men who have sex with men and pregnant women [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Among these high-risk groups injecting drug users (IDU) and Men who have sex with Men (MSM) are said to be more common among incarcerated populations [2,[16][17][18][19]. It is well known that behaviours such as sex, tattooing and injection drug use are illegal at the prison sites but these are the most prevalent intra-prison high-risk behaviours that put inmates at risk of blood-borne infections including HIV and HBV which may account for the higher prevalence in the prisons [19].…”