HIV transmission behaviors in jail/prison among puerto rican drug injectors in New York and Puerto Rico.
This study examined HIV risk behavior in jail/prison among Puerto Rican drug injectors in New York (NY, n = 300) and Puerto Rico (PR, n = 200), and its relationship with later drug and sex risk behaviors. During 3 years prior to interview, 66% of NY and 43% of PR samples were incarcerated at least once. While incarcerated, 5% of NY and 53% of PR injected drugs. Few reported engaging in sex inside jail/prison (5% in both sites). Of those who engaged in risk behaviors in jail/prison, almost all reported having unprotected sex and sharing injection equipment. The impact of jail/prison risk behaviors on risk behaviors after release differed between the two sites: they were more related to subsequent sex risk behaviors in NY, and subsequent injection risk behaviors in PR. The findings indicate a need for effective drug treatment programs inside jail/prisons to reduce HIV-related risk behaviors among drug injectors during incarceration and after release.
Kang
Sung-Yeon
SY
National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., 71 West 23rd Street, New York 10010, USA. kang@ndri.org
Deren
Sherry
S
Andia
Jonny
J
Colón
Hector M
HM
Robles
Rafaela
R
Oliver-Velez
Denise
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D011329:Prisoners; D011330:Prisons; D011647:Puerto Rico; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*