title: The role of visual markers in police victimization among structurally vulnerable persons in Tijuana, Mexico.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Law enforcement can shape HIV risk behaviours and undermine strategies aimed at curbing HIV infection. Little is known about factors that increase vulnerability to police victimization in Mexico. This study identifies correlates of police or army victimization (i.e., harassment or assault) in the past 6 months among patients seeking care at a free clinic in Tijuana, Mexico.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January to May 2013, 601 patients attending a binational student-run free clinic completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Eligible participants were: (1) ≥18 years old; (2) seeking care at the clinic; and (3) spoke Spanish or English. Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified factors associated with police/army victimization in the past 6 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than one-third (38%) of participants reported victimization by police/army officials in the past 6 months in Tijuana. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, males (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 3.68; 95% CI: 2.19-6.19), tattooed persons (AOR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.04-2.33) and those who injected drugs in the past 6 months (AOR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.29-3.43) were significantly more likely to report past 6-month police/army victimization. Recent feelings of rejection (AOR: 3.80; 95% CI: 2.47-5.85) and being denied employment (AOR: 2.23; 95% CI: 1.50-3.32) were also independently associated with police/army victimization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Structural interventions aimed at reducing stigma against vulnerable populations and increasing social incorporation may aid in reducing victimization events by police/army in Tijuana. Police education and training to reduce abusive policing practices may be warranted.
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, Institute of the Americas, 10111 North Torrey Pines Road, Mail Code 0507, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pinedo
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, Institute of the Americas, 10111 North Torrey Pines Road, Mail Code 0507, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States.
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Burgos
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina y Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Calzada Universidad #14418, Parque Industrial Internacional, Tijuana, Baja California C.P. 22390, Mexico.
authors.forename: Adriana Vargas
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Ojeda
authors.affiliation: Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0548, United States.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: FitzGerald
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, Institute of the Americas, 10111 North Torrey Pines Road, Mail Code 0507, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States. Electronic address: vojeda@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Victoria D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Ojeda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D016495:Police / Q000523:psychology; D013240:Stereotyping; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013653:Tattooing; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: Injection drug use; Mexico; Migrants; Police; Stigma; Tattoos