People living with HIV in the United States are overrepresented in the criminal-legal system and face unique barriers to HIV care post-incarceration, compounded by structural barriers related to their HIV status. HIV outcomes—defined as HIV diagnosis, linkage to HIV care, retention in HIV care, adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and HIV viral suppression—generally improve during incarceration, but they often sharply decline after release from jail or prison.
To improve HIV outcomes for criminal-legal involved populations, several projects funded through the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States (EHE) initiative tested innovative, evidence-based strategies by identifying and addressing factors unique to criminal-legal involved populations that influence their engagement and retention in HIV care. An article in the April 2025 open access supplemental issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS) synthesizes key findings from five of these projects and highlights effective interventions and implementation strategies. The SISCI Team developed a one-page snapshot summarizing the article and key project takeaways.
More About the JAIDS Supplemental Issue
The JAIDS supplemental issue, “State of US HIV Implementation Science: Progress and Priorities to End the Epidemic by 2030,” (volume 98, supplement 5), was coordinated and edited by SISCI co-investigators. It aims to accelerate progress toward ending the HIV epidemic in the United States by examining key findings and takeaways from 120 National Institutes of Health-funded projects through 24 collaborative articles. The articles synthesize findings from a wide array of interventions, settings, target populations, and implementation strategies.
Cite the Snapshot Article: Ogunbajo A, Martinez O, Akiyama M, Dombrowski J, Creasy S, French A, Jones-Vanderleest J, Henry C, Hickson D, Rosenberg-Carlson E, EHE Justice-Involved Projects Community of Practice. Implementation Science Approaches to Addressing the Social and Structural Determinants of Health of Criminal–Legal Involved People Living With HIV to Improve HIV Care Outcomes. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS), 98(5S):e118-e123, April 2025.