Best practices with HIV infected/affected incarcerated women.

Group/Peer Support

April 2021

Full Citation

Pomeroy, E., Rountree, M., & Parrish, D. (2006). Best practices with HIV infected/affected incarcerated women. Handbook of forensic mental health with victims and offenders, 467-490. Retrieved from http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&PAGE=reference&D=psyc5&NEWS=N&A…

Abstract

In this chapter, the problems of HIV/AIDS among incarcerated women are highlighted. The proportion of women in prisons and jails in comparison to males has substantially increased over the past decade. Women are more frequently being arrested for drug offenses, prostitution, and other nonviolent crimes. Many of these women are at a heightened risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. There are a disproportionate number of African American and Latina women affected by this illness, and these women also are more highly represented in the corrections system. An example of empirically supported intervention designed by one of the authors is presented in detail. This psychoeducational group intervention was found to be effective in reducing depression, anxiety, and trauma and in increasing knowledge about HIV/AIDS among women inmates. The intervention is a 5-week, 10-session group design that was delivered in a jail setting. This model can be utilized by social workers working in the jail or prison system due to the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the design. While practitioners in the corrections system are often operating from a crisis case model, this intervention allows practitioners to provide mental health and psychosocial support to groups of inmates infected and affected by HIV/AIDS who might not otherwise receive care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)