Assessing Prevalence and Management of Infectious Disease Conditions in the Correctional Setting

PROJECT SUMMARY FOR 2001-IJ-CX-0023 This project will examine the screening and treatment of inmates in Texas for infectious diseases, namely HCV. One of the significant aspects of this project will be to research how treatment patterns vary according to prison facility type, in order to help correctional administrators make the correct policy decisions on the delivery of healthcare services. Many prisons engage in screening prisoners for infectious diseases at the inception of incarceration. However, little is known about the frequency of screening prisoners after they have been incarcerated for some time. Another major aspect of this research will be the analysis of the prevalence of infectious diseases after time in prison. In other words, the frequency of conversion from non-disease to disease states during incarceration. According to information received during a recent CDC conference on HCV, many institutions have little or no data on the spread of infectious diseases among prisoners during incarceration. This study will help fill that hole in the body of research in correctional health care. Finally, this study proposes to examine the effects of infectious disease conditions and treatment on the outcomes of pregnancy of incarcerated individuals in Texas.