Published March, 2023

HIV in Prisons - 2021, US Department of Justice (2023)

This report provides data on persons in the custody of state and federal correctional authorities who were known to be living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 2021. The report presents national- and jurisdiction-level estimates of the number and rate of prisoners living with HIV while in the custody of state and federal correctional authorities. Jurisdictional data on HIV testing practices during intake, while in custody, and during discharge planning are also included. The report found that at year end 2021, an estimated 11,810 persons with HIV were in the custody of state and federal correctional authorities, down from 12,060 in 2020. In 2021, of the 50 jurisdictions reporting their HIV testing practices, 16 jurisdictions (which accounted for 40% of prison admissions) conducted mandatory HIV testing during intake. From 2001 to 2017, four states (Florida, Georgia, New York, and Texas) accounted for more than 54% of persons in prison with HIV and observed a 49% decline in this population during the same period.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs