The HIV Prevention
Justice Alliance
is a national network
of over 70 groups building a unified, effective movement for HIV prevention
in the United States.

  JOIN US!



Know The Issue
Mass Imprisonment and HIV Vulnerability

Two Intersecting Epidemics

Think about these statistics:
  • 1 in 100 Americans is currently in prison.
  • 1 in 31 adults is currently in prison, on probation or on parole.
  • 1 in 7 people with HIV passes through a correctional facility each year.
HIV and imprisonment disproportionately affect the same communities.  A 2005 study found the link among race, prison and HIV is so strong that it almost completely explains the disproportionate impact of HIV in the Black community.

Breaking Down the Intersection

The War on Drugs, mandatory minimums, racial profiling, and other criminal justice policies have resulted in the mass imprisonment of low-income people of color—driving HIV vulnerability in communities across the country.

Mass imprisonment disrupts family and social networks, weakening the already fragile emotional, financial and political support systems of entire communities, making it more difficult for people to protect themselves against HIV. 

With Project UNSHACKLE, we're challenging mass imprisonment as a root cause of HIV vulnerability, and fighting for the healing our communities need!

In Our Own Words

Speaking the truth of our lives is how we name the toll that imprisonment has taken on our communities, and identify the steps we must take to make justice our lived reality. 

Click here to hear Project UNSHACKLE allies talk about their perspectives on the intersection of HIV and imprisonment at our first community forum, What's Prison Got To Do With It?.

Learn More

To learn more about how Project UNSHACKLE is responding to the intersection of HIV and imprisonment, follow the -QUICK LINKS- menu items at left.

Contact

Please email us with questions, suggestions, and ideas for getting involved as Project UNSHACKLE moves forward.