NCJ Number
143197
Journal
Inside Psychology Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: (November 1992) Pages: 23-29
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 inmates and 16 staff members in different areas of HMP Wormwood Scrubs, a large, multifunction prison in Great Britain, to explore three high-risk activities related to HIV transmission: drug injection using shared equipment, homosexual activity, and tattooing using shared equipment.
Abstract
The interviews focused specifically on respondents' beliefs about the prevalence of sexual activity, attitudes toward sexual activity, and factors which may influence their level of sexual activity. The interviews revealed that both inmates and staff reported the occurrence of risky sexual activity, more on the long-term wing than on the remand wing. Factors reducing the likelihood of homosexual activity among short-term and remand prisoners included a relatively short period of incarceration, sight of a release date, greater contact with relatives, and preoccupation with external events, including bail applications and legal appeals. While most data indicate that the majority of prison drug use involves cannabis, some prisoners reported knowledge of injecting drug abuse, which was corroborated by regular discovery of needles on the prison grounds. Factors influencing the risk of drug use include the proportion of drug dependents in the population, the time elapsed since the user was using drugs outside prison, and financial resources. Both inmates and staff reported that, despite some occurrences of tattooing in prison, they were relatively infrequent. Several strategies to reduce the level of risk activity are mentioned: education, throughcare of drug users, condom issue, injecting equipment issue, regime management, and security.