HIV infection in U.S. correctional systems: its effect on the community

Increased rates of HIV infection and risk-taking behaviors among incarcerated men and women make the fight against HIV within the prison and jail systems an especially critical issue in community health. Overcrowded conditions impact on the rotation of inmates in and out of the correctional system. This revolving door phenomenon has implications for disease prevention and control within the community into which the inmates are released. As more people pass in and out of jails and prisons, more problems and diseases associated with incarceration pass into the community. The special needs of the prison population must be taken into consideration not only by nurses but also by all health care workers and correctional officials when planning and implementing control and prevention strategies.