“My name is Robert, and I’m HIV-positive. When I first got out of prison in February, 2009, I was homeless and had $180 to my name. I didn’t know where I was going to get my next meal or sleep at night. My self-esteem suffered as I struggled to reorient to society, and I could feel my health deteriorating with it. I had a few medical resources, but it wasn’t enough. I needed health care.” -Robert W., Fortune client

The high rates of HIV and AIDS among incarcerated New Yorkers confirm the critical need for prevention education and counseling services in order to prevent further spread of the disease both within correctional facilities and in the communities that formerly incarcerated men and women primarily return to in New York City – most of which are low income communities of color.

New York State’s prison population was found in 2006 to have the highest HIV infection rate of any state (see full statistic below).  In general, people who have been incarcerated are at great risk of HIV infection, as evidenced by the presence of numerous factors that have been proven to increase the risk of HIV transmission, including risky behavior, STI co-occurrence, co-morbid health challenges, substance use, mental illness, homelessness, and unstable family life. Studies have shown that, STD rates in general are proportionally much higher within the incarcerated population than the general population, as the statistics below reflect.

This information becomes even more alarming when one considers the findings of a 2006 New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) study, which indicates that drug use significantly increases the likelihood of HIV infection.  In fact, HIV prevalence was between 15-24%* in individuals incarcerated in New York City jails who reported injecting illicit drugs in the past.  In addition, rates of mental illness among incarcerated individuals are at least twice as high as rates in the general population, with an estimated 8-16% having at least one serious mental illness and requiring some form of psychiatric services**.  Lastly, the classification of condoms as contraband contributes to high transmission levels of HIV inside institutions.  This data points clearly to a vital need for health services in NYS that include significant HIV prevention efforts.

• Among inmates in New York City jails who reported injecting illicit drugs in the past, HIV prevalence was 15.3% in males and 23.2% in females (The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, HIV Epidemiology & Field Services Semiannual Report, April 2008).
• The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that 6.3% (n=4,000) of the New York State (NYS) prison population was infected with HIV in 2006 – the highest percentage and population of any state (US Department of Justice, HIV In Prisons, 2006).
• A 2006 DOHMH study found that 6.1% of new jail admissions were diagnosed with HIV (NYC DOHMH, April 2008).
• 12.2% of people incarcerated in NYS prisons who tested as HIV+ were found to have contracted the virus while incarcerated (Christopher P. Krebs, “Inmate Factors Associated With HIV Transmission in Prison,” Criminology & Public Policy Volume:5 Issue:1 February 2006).
• Among people who were diagnosed with HIV during a 2006 DOHMH study, 29.7% of males and 23.4% of females appeared to have undiagnosed HIV infection at admission (NYC DOHMH, April 2008).