Improving Post-Release Care Engagement for People Living with HIV Involved in the Criminal Justice System: A Systematic Review

• Published in: AIDS and behavior Vol. 26; no. 5; pp. 1607 - 1617
• Main Authors: Moher, Matthew, Erickson, Margaret, Black, Paleah, Price, Morgan, Fraser, Christopher, Norman, Wendy V., Guillemi, Silvia, Pick, Neora, Elwood Martin, Ruth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.05.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anti-Retroviral Agents - therapeutic use; Antiretroviral agents; Antiretroviral drugs; Antiretroviral therapy; Case management; Cellular telephones; Correctional institutions; Crime; Criminal justice; Criminal Law; Ex-convicts; Health behavior; Health Psychology; Health services; Health services utilization; HIV; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - epidemiology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Imprisonment; Infectious Diseases; Judicial system; Medication Adherence; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Prisons; Public Health; Substantive Review; Systematic review; Viral Load; Adherence; Incarceration; HIV; Antiretroviral therapy
• ISSN: 1090-7165; 1573-3254
• DOI: 10.1007/s10461-021-03513-4

Given sub-optimal HIV care outcomes for people living with HIV (PLWH) post-release from incarceration, we systematically searched peer-reviewed literature (2010–2021) describing controlled trial interventions aimed at improving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) adherence and care linkage following release from correctional facilities for PLWH. Of 392 studies, 16 (4%) met the inclusion criteria. All studies were conducted in the United States and involved some form of intensive case management. Trials that scored highest in terms of study quality provided cell phones for engagement, reported sustained viral load suppression as a measurable outcome to infer ART adherence, and measured longitudinal data collected for at least 3-to-6 months following release. The two trials that demonstrated improved HIV viral load suppression involved Peer Navigators, and incentivized undetectable viral load, respectively. Facilitating support for addictions and addressing other social and structural barriers to achieving optimal health is also of vital importance in bridging care gaps for PLWH.