Social policy, imperiled communities and HIV/AIDS transmission in prisons: a call for zero tolerance

Abstract 

HIV/AIDS and African-American male imprisonment contribute to the destruction of African-American communities. African-American men and HIV/AIDS are disproportionately represented throughout all sectors of the criminal justice industry, including the juvenile justice system. The criminal justice system contributes to unacceptably high African-American male imprisonment rates and HIV prevalence directly via the ‘war on drugs’ and lax enforcement of institutional policy among other things, and indirectly through perpetuation of economic hardship which further exacerbates imprisonment rates, thus closing the loop of a vicious cycle of revolving prison doors and HIV contraction. This article briefly introduces surrounding socio-political issues that contextualizes the ensuing discussion. It then considers the State of Georgia to explore issues of incidence and how HIV transmission occurs in prisons, uses Prison Rape Elimination Act data to shed light on accountability issues and the degree to which the nature of sex in prisons is romantic or violent, and concludes by offering overarching solutions and encouraging action in response to the myriad associated problems.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Incarceration, Prison, Jail, Re-entry, African-American community