HIV/AIDS and STDs in Juvenile Facilities

• NCJ Number: 155509
• Author(s): Rebecca Widom; Theodore M. Hammett
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Research in Brief, BJS Technical Reports
• Grant Number(s): OJP-89-C-009
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Survey

Annotation

This report presents findings from a 1994 survey by the National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of policies, programs, and data regarding HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STD's) in State and local juvenile justice detention centers and training schools.

Abstract

Forty-one State juvenile justice systems, 32 city or county detention centers, and 27 State training schools responded to the questionnaire. This report presents current knowledge regarding HIV and STD risk behaviors among youth; epidemiological data on HIV/AIDS and STD's from the survey and other sources; and survey findings on education, preventive measures, and testing policies. Findings show that only about 1 percent of individuals diagnosed with AIDS between 1993 and 1994 were between 13 and 19 years old. Still, many youth engage in high-risk behavior that puts them in danger of contracting HIV and STD's. Findings show that many detention centers and training schools provide instructor-led education about HIV. Of the 53 systems that provide complete data, approximately 75 percent offered HIV prevention counseling in juvenile facilities. Although some juvenile justice systems have comprehensive HIV education and prevention programs, many do not provide extensive information because of societal pressure and juvenile justice agency regulations against delivering explicit messages and distributing materials such as condoms. State systems, more than county and city systems, include such topics as safer sex practices, negotiating skills, self- perception of risk, the meaning of HIV/STD tests, and proper condom use in their education programs. Only two of the 73 systems that responded to the survey conduct mandatory HIV screening of all incoming juveniles. Most systems provide HIV, STD, and pregnancy testing on a voluntary basis or when juveniles exhibit clinical indications of disease or pregnancy. 8 exhibits and 28 notes