HIV-Related Behaviors in Transitional Correctional Settings

Although investigators have studied HIV-related behavior and attitudes in prisons, little is known about HIV/AIDS phenomena in work release or other alternative forms of incarceration. This study examined the sexual- and drug-risk behavior of 270 male drug users in three work-release facilities located in New York City, comparing their self-reported risk profiles to findings from studies of related high-risk samples in other settings. The respondents reported lower rates of current drug use (heroin, crack cocaine, and alcohol), injection drug use, sexual risk taking, and sexually transmitted diseases than did these comparison groups, and the respondents reported comparable rates of condom use. The rates of most HIV-related risk behaviors in this sample were substantially lower than those reported in other studies of comparison populations. Explanations for these unexpectedly low rates of self-reported risk behavior are offered, and ways in which to overcome practical and methodological challenges that arise in conducting HIV/AIDS research in transitional correctional settings are suggested.