Epidemiological characteristics of HIV-infected women with and without a history of criminal justice involvement in South Carolina

J Correct Health Care. 2013 Jan;19(1):15-26. doi: 10.1177/1078345812456376. Epub 2012 Aug 30.

Abstract

The circumstances that lead to incarceration may potentiate the HIV/AIDS epidemic and this has become an emerging public health concern. In the United States and in most jurisdictions, HIV prevalence in the correctional setting is higher among female inmates than male inmates. This dichotomy is not fully understood and few studies have focused on women in the South. Using data from the South Carolina (SC) electronic HIV/AID Reporting System, the SC Law Enforcement Criminal History database, and a public access website of the SC Department of Corrections, the authors describe the epidemiological characteristics and correctional history of a population of HIV-infected women in SC diagnosed between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 2005.

MeSH terms

  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / epidemiology
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology*
  • HIV Infections / ethnology
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Prisons / statistics & numerical data*
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Risk Factors
  • Risk-Taking
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • South Carolina / epidemiology
  • Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology