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Between Spaces: Understanding Movement to and from Prison as an HIV Risk Factor

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Book cover Crime, HIV and Health: Intersections of Criminal Justice and Public Health Concerns

Abstract

In the United States, the prevalence of HIV among people who are incarcerated, or have a history of incarceration, is higher than among the general public. Similarly, HIV rates are highest in United States neighborhoods that are disproportionately impacted by incarceration, parole and probation. The association between incarceration and HIV has been partially attributed to high-risk sex and drug use behavior inside correctional facilities. The lack of access to condoms or clean syringes in United States prisons and most jails makes sexual intercourse and injection drug use in these places risky. Research has also found that the disruption of primary sexual relationships resulting from incarceration is associated with an increase in sexual risk in the community, including multiple partners and concurrency. Here, we explore numerous disruptions created by incarceration, including sexual partnerships, to better understand the community-based HIV risk that is produced by the movement to and from prison. Building on Clear et al.’s (Justice Quarterly 20:33–64, 2003) research about the impact of coercive mobility on neighborhood crime rates, we use theories of social disorganization to suggest how criminal justice-induced movement creates HIV risk for both individuals who are incarcerated and members of their social networks by undermining relationship, housing, and economic stability. Preliminary findings from a mixed methods study of parolees and probationers illustrate these arguments and suggest further avenues for HIV prevention research.

Funding for this study was provided by NIH/NIDA R21 DA019186, PI Blankenship. We also wish to thank Katina Gionteris, Elizabeth Puloka, and Alana Rosenberg for research assistance.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, American University, Washington, DC, USA

    Kim M. Blankenship Ph.D.

  2. Center on Health, Risk and Society, American University, Washington, DC, USA

    Kim M. Blankenship Ph.D.

  3. Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Amy B. Smoyer Ph.D., M.S.W.

Authors
  1. Kim M. Blankenship Ph.D.
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  2. Amy B. Smoyer Ph.D., M.S.W.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kim M. Blankenship Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminal Justice &, Criminalistics, California State University, Los Angeles, State University Drive 5151, Los Angeles, 90032, California, USA

    Bill Sanders

  2. , Howard University, Office of Regulatory Research Compliance, 7th Street 1840, Washington, 20001, District of Columbia, USA

    Yonette F. Thomas

  3. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Div. Epidemiology, Services &, National Institutes of Health, Executive Blvd. 6001, Bethesda, 20892-9589, Maryland, USA

    Bethany Griffin Deeds

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Blankenship, K.M., Smoyer, A.B. (2013). Between Spaces: Understanding Movement to and from Prison as an HIV Risk Factor. In: Sanders, B., Thomas, Y., Griffin Deeds, B. (eds) Crime, HIV and Health: Intersections of Criminal Justice and Public Health Concerns. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8921-2_11

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