Sociocultural Factors Influencing The Transmission of HIV/AIDS in The United States
This chapter discusses the unique impact that social disadvantage in general and the criminal justice systems in the United States in particular have on the conditions that drive the HIV/AIDS epidemic in this country. HIV/AIDS is classified as an important racial/ethnic health disparity because residents of marginalized black and Hispanic communities are overrepresented among persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. Members of black and Hispanic communities are also overrepresented in the criminal justice; in terms of the epidemic, approximately one out of seven persons living with HIV/AIDS will pass through a U.S. correctional facility in any given year. A history of incarceration is associated with poor treatment outcomes for HIV illness. Improving the quality of HIV care in correctional facilities and in the communities to which incarcerated persons will return is imperative, as is effective interventions in incarcerated populations and communities. Having AIDS activists, scientists, and healthcare workers join in efforts to reform incarceration policies and practices will improve efforts to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, particularly in communities that confront high rates of HIV/AIDS and incarceration.