Male Prisoners and HIV Prevention: A Call for Action Ignored

Abstract

US prison inmates are disproportionately indigent young men of color. These individuals are severely affected by HIV/AIDS, largely owing to the high-risk behavior that they engage in prior to incarceration. Researchers and practioners have issued a a call for the impotance of offering HIV prevention services in prison settings. However, this call has largely been ignored. In this article, we outline reasons why these recommendations have been largely ignored, discuss innovative HIV prevention progrmas that are currently being implemented in prison settings, and offer recommendations for securing support for HIV prevention services in correctional settings.