NCJ Number
156154
Date Published
1994
Length
182 pages
Annotation
In 1987, the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services established the Prison AIDS Project, which in turn created and implemented an inmate prison peer education program (PPEP) which trains selected inmates about all aspects of HIV and provides them with skills to be able to educate their fellow prisoners.
Abstract
This evaluation was designed to assess the effectiveness of the PPEP in meeting its objectives, which include providing inmates with the knowledge and skills necessary to avoid HIV infection, developing effective peer educators, establishing a support infrastructure of correctional center management, and providing access to appropriate and updated information and resources. Data for the evaluation were obtained from pre- and postcourse questionnaires completed by inmates and random surveys conducted with officers and inmates, an assessment of the trainer component of the program, and a review of program materials. The evaluators found that the PPEP was an effective educational tool, it attracted a relatively large number of inmates who had not participated in any other prison education programs, it contributed to changes in inmates' attitudes toward HIV and AIDS, and it significantly increased inmates' knowledge of the transmission and prevention of HIV. Nonetheless, the program also had some shortcomings: materials had not been consistently updated, there was an inadequate review structure built into the program, and the scope of the PPEP was limited and needed to be expanded. 34 tables, 14 appendixes, and 11 references