Do HIV-Infected Incarcerated Sexual Offenders Deserve a Little More Attention?

Abstract

Sexual offenders are putatively at high risk of contracting and transmitting HIV as a result of their nonconsensual and coercive sexual practices. To identify and manage particular health and psychological needs among infected sexual offenders should be of high public interest. In this study, we aimed to compare incarcerated sexual offenders who reported with those that denied being HIV-positive, in terms of drug misuse, impulsiveness levels and recidivism risk. It was a cross-sectional research with 198 adult male offenders sentenced only for sexual crimes, recruited and interviewed in a Brazilian Penitentiary. HIV-infected sexual offenders showed higher sexual impulsiveness, more problems with drug misuse and higher recidivism risk than their counterparts. The total sample achieved a power of 93% and 87% to detect distinctions between both groups as regards sexual impulsiveness and problems with drug misuse, respectively. HIV-infected sexual offenders can be a distinguished group and new and effective management strategies should urgently be re-thought and put forward for them.