INMATES SELF-PERCEIVED RISK OF HIV-INFECTION INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SCOTTISH PRISONS

Five hundred and fifty nine inmates in Scottish prisons were asked to assess their risk of HIV infection prior to imprisonment and during im prisonment. HIV self-perceived risk was significantly higher prior to imprisonment than during imprisonment. Those prisoners who thought the ir risk of HIV infection was high prior to imprisonment were more like ly to have previously been charged and sentenced with a drug offence, to have used injected drugs and shared needles in and out of prison, t o have had an HIV test, known someone who had been HIV tested, known s omeone who was HIV seropositive, to have had an injecting drug user se xual partner, and to have had more than one sexual partner in the 1 mo nth prior to imprisonment. During imprisonment few inmates regarded th eir risk of HIV infection as high and this was paralleled by a reducti on in high-risk injecting drug use and almost non-existent high-risk s exual behaviour during custody. The results suggested that most inmate s were able to apply their understanding of the risk factors for HIV i nfection to themselves and to state whether or not they had been at ri sk both prior to and during imprisonment. However, a small number appe ared to deny the risk associated with high-risk injecting drug use in and out of prison, and the majority did not adopt sexual risk reductio n strategies when they were at liberty.