Assessing the Effect of Recent Incarceration in Prison on HIV Care Retention and Viral Suppression in Two States

Community-based models of health care for women, trans and nonbinary people released from prisons: An international scoping review with implications for Canada

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To illustrate the scope of different types of transitional, community-based health interventions for formerly incarcerated women, trans and nonbinary people, the eligibility criteria for these interventions, and associated health outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Meeting the health needs of formerly incarcerated people in community, rather than through the criminal justice system, may prevent further experiences of criminalization. Research is needed to understand what community-based health interventions have been implemented internationally to inform the design of an intervention in Canada.

DESIGN

Scoping review using the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology.

METHODS

In consultation with a medical research librarian, key databases and journals were searched for English language articles, from any country, with no specified date range. Three authors independently screened titles and abstracts to identify articles for full-text review. The study adheres to PRISMA-EQUATOR guidelines.

RESULTS

Thirty-six studies met the present criteria and were reviewed in full text. Method, setting, participants, sample, relevant outcomes and relevant findings were extracted from each study for synthesis. Included studies had varied methods and were published from 1999 to 2020. Thirty-one studies were based in the United States, one in Puerto Rico and two each in Canada and the United Kingdom. The most common health issue focus was human immunodeficiency virus and/or hepatitis c virus. The most common outcome was uptake of offered services, such as a transitional clinic.

CONCLUSIONS

Gaps in the research pertain to a lack of attention to clinical outcomes and patient experience, and a lack of consideration of sexual and reproductive health concerns. Women were the minority population in all studies that included both men and women; transgender participants were mentioned in only four of thirty-six studies. The specific needs of women, trans and nonbinary people must be taken into consideration.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Nurses must be conscious of the elevated health risks associated with exposure to correctional institutions and the risks associated with the period of transition.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

A member of the research team brings lived experience expertise with respect to the criminal justice system.

Long-Acting Injectable Therapy for People with HIV: Looking Ahead with Lessons from Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine

Long-acting injectable antiretroviral medications are new to HIV treatment. People with HIV may benefit from a treatment option that better aligns with their preferences, but could also face new challenges and barriers. Authors from the fields of HIV, substance use treatment, and mental health collaborated on this commentary on the issues surrounding equitable implementation and uptake of LAI ART by drawing lessons from all three fields. We employ a socio-ecological framework beginning at the policy level and moving through the community, organizational, interpersonal, and patient levels. We look at extant literature on the topic as well as draw from the direct experience of our clinician-authors.

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of HIV Infection among Detainees: A Review of the Literature

Detainees are one of the most vulnerable populations to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This is mostly caused by the lack of knowledge on the topic among the inmates; the lack of prophylaxis; the high percentage of risky behaviors in jail, such as sexual abuse, unprotected sexual intercourses, and injective drug use; and the generally low perception of the risk of transmission. It has also been observed that the problem does not cease to exist at the moment of release, but it also may be aggravated by the weak support system or the total absence of programs for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to avoid discontinuation of antiretroviral drugs. Difficulty in providing housing and jobs and, therefore, a form of stability for ex-detainees, also contributes to none adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Among the detainees, there are also categories of people more susceptible to discrimination and violence and, therefore, to risky behaviors, such as black people, Hispanics, transgender people, and men who have sex with men (MSM). We reviewed the literature in order to provide a more complete picture on the situation of PLWHA in jail and to also analyze the difficulties of ex-detainees in adhering to HIV therapy.

Interventions Designed to Improve HIV Continuum of Care Outcomes for Persons with HIV in Contact with the Carceral System in the USA

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To describe existing evidence and identify future directions for intervention research related to improving HIV care outcomes for persons with HIV involved in the carceral system in the USA, a population with high unmet HIV care needs.

RECENT FINDINGS

Few recent intervention studies focus on improving HIV care outcomes for this population. Successful strategies to improve care outcomes include patient navigation, substance use treatment, and incentivizing HIV care outcomes. Technology-supported interventions are underutilized in this population. Notable gaps in the existing literature include intervention research addressing HIV care needs for cisgender and transgender women and those under carceral supervision in the community. Future research should address existing gaps in the literature and respond to emergent needs including understanding how the changing HIV care delivery environment resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the approval of new injectable ART formulation shape HIV care outcomes in this population.

Injection and Non-Injection Drug Use Among Adults with Diagnosed HIV in the United States, 2015-2018

Understanding behavioral characteristics and health outcomes of people with HIV (PWH) who inject drugs and PWH who use drugs, but do not inject, can help inform public health interventions and improve HIV clinical outcomes. However, recent, nationally representative estimates are lacking. We used 2015-2018 Medical Monitoring Project data to examine health outcome differences among adults with diagnosed HIV who injected drugs or who only used non-injection drugs in the past year. Data were obtained from participant interviews and medical record abstraction. We reported weighted percentages and prevalence ratios with predicted marginal means to assess differences between groups (P < 0.05). PWH who injected drugs were more likely to engage in high-risk sex; experience depression and anxiety symptoms, homelessness, and incarceration; and have lower levels of care retention, antiretroviral therapy adherence, and viral suppression. Tailored, comprehensive interventions are critical for improving outcomes among PWH who use drugs, particularly among those who inject drugs.

Disparities in Retention in Care Among Adults Living with HIV/AIDS: A Systematic Review

As national HIV prevention goals aim to increase the proportion of persons living with HIV, determining existing disparities in retention in care will allow for targeted intervention. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify existing disparities in retention in care. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 guided this systematic review. Electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Sociological Collection, PsychInfo, and Cab Direct/Global Health, were systematically searched and twenty studies were included. This review identified disparities in retention in care that have been documented by race, gender, age, HIV exposure, incarceration history, place of birth, and U.S. geographic location. Research is necessary to further identify existing disparities in retention in care and to better understand determinants of health disparities. Additionally, interventions must be tailored to meet the needs of health disparate populations and should be assessed to determine their effectiveness in reducing health disparities.

Decreasing HIV transmissions to African American women through interventions for men living with HIV post-incarceration: An agent-based modeling study

Background

Incarceration and HIV disproportionately impact African American communities. The mass incarceration of African American men is hypothesized to increase HIV acquisition risk for African American women. Interventions optimizing HIV care engagement and minimizing sexual risk behaviors for men living with HIV post-incarceration may decrease HIV incidence.

Methods

Using an agent-based model, we simulated a sexual and injection drug using network representing the African American population of Philadelphia. We compared intervention strategies for men living with HIV post-incarceration by the number of averted HIV transmissions to women within the community. Three interventions were evaluated: a 90-90-90 scenario scaling up HIV testing, ART provision, and ART adherence; a behavioral intervention decreasing sexual risk behaviors; and a combination intervention involving both.

Results

The status quo scenario projected 2,836 HIV transmissions to women over twenty years. HIV transmissions to women decreased by 29% with the 90-90-90 intervention, 23% with the behavioral intervention, and 37% with both. The number of men living with HIV receiving the intervention needed in order to prevent a single HIV transmission ranged between 6 and 10.

Conclusion

Interventions to improve care engagement and decrease sexual risk behaviors post-incarceration for men living with HIV have the potential to decrease HIV incidence within African American heterosexual networks.

Retention in HIV care during the 3 years following release from incarceration: A cohort study

BACKGROUND

Sustained retention in HIV care (RIC) and viral suppression (VS) are central to US national HIV prevention strategies, but have not been comprehensively assessed in criminal justice (CJ) populations with known health disparities. The purpose of this study is to identify predictors of RIC and VS following release from prison or jail.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

This is a retrospective cohort study of all adult people living with HIV (PLWH) incarcerated in Connecticut, US, during the period January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2011, and observed through December 31, 2014 (n = 1,094). Most cohort participants were unmarried (83.7%) men (77.0%) who were black or Hispanic (78.1%) and acquired HIV from injection drug use (72.6%). Prison-based pharmacy and custody databases were linked with community HIV surveillance monitoring and case management databases. Post-release RIC declined steadily over 3 years of follow-up (67.2% retained for year 1, 51.3% retained for years 1-2, and 42.5% retained for years 1-3). Compared with individuals who were not re-incarcerated, individuals who were re-incarcerated were more likely to meet RIC criteria (48% versus 34%; p < 0.001) but less likely to have VS (72% versus 81%; p = 0.048). Using multivariable logistic regression models (individual-level analysis for 1,001 individuals after excluding 93 deaths), both sustained RIC and VS at 3 years post-release were independently associated with older age (RIC: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.22-2.12; VS: AOR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.06-1.78), having health insurance (RIC: AOR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.60-2.89; VS: AOR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.53-2.64), and receiving an increased number of transitional case management visits. The same factors were significant when we assessed RIC and VS outcomes in each 6-month period using generalized estimating equations (for 1,094 individuals contributing 6,227 6-month periods prior to death or censoring). Additionally, receipt of antiretroviral therapy during incarceration (RIC: AOR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.07-1.65; VS: AOR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.56-2.34), early linkage to care post-release (RIC: AOR = 2.64, 95% CI = 2.03-3.43; VS: AOR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.45-2.21), and absolute time and proportion of follow-up time spent re-incarcerated were highly correlated with better treatment outcomes. Limited data were available on changes over time in injection drug use or other substance use disorders, psychiatric disorders, or housing status.

CONCLUSIONS

In a large cohort of CJ-involved PLWH with a 3-year post-release evaluation, RIC diminished significantly over time, but was associated with HIV care during incarceration, health insurance, case management services, and early linkage to care post-release. While re-incarceration and conditional release provide opportunities to engage in care, reducing recidivism and supporting community-based RIC efforts are key to improving longitudinal treatment outcomes among CJ-involved PLWH.