HIV Prevention and the Treatment Needs of Offenders at risk for or Living with HIV/AIDS

• NCJ Number: 300929
• Date Published: May 2021
• Grant Number(s): 2016-MU-BX-K021
• Agencies: BJA
• Award: Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Training and Technical Assistance Program

Annotation

This training curriculum on HIV prevention and the treatment needs of offenders at risk for or living with HIV/AIDS is intended for jail/prison and aftercare staff in their work under the federal Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program, since justice-involved individuals with substance-use disorders (SUDs) are at high risk for HIV/AIDS.

Abstract

The RSAT staff who should receive this training include addiction professionals and case managers; mental health counselors and volunteers; administrators and healthcare staff; and security staff, prison and jail chaplains, and community corrections officers. This is a cross-disciplinary training curriculum intended to increase knowledge of the relationship between HIV infection and substance use, as well as best practices for integrated care in jail and prison settings. The first training module provides basic information on the nature and transmission of HIV, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among offenders, HIV screening and detection, and priorities for RSAT staff. The latter include maintaining knowledge of evidence-based risk reduction behaviors and treatment options. The second training module addresses the link between the risk for HIV/AIDS and substance use, best practices specific to HIV/AIDS in the context of substance-abuse treatment, the importance of and procedures in HIV testing, and best practices regarding HIV/AIDS testing for justice-involved women with SUDs. The third training module addresses RSAT staff’s role in supporting clients with HIV/AIDS as they enter correctional facilities and SUD treatment, and how client needs and treatment approaches differ for RSAT clients with HIV/AIDS. Reentry into the community and continuity of care for RSAT clients with HIV/AIDS are also addressed in this training module. The fourth and concluding training module addresses the needs and treatment issues for generally under-served RSAT clients with HIV/AIDS (youth, women, African Americans, and cultural minorities).