The PJP Update, Positive Justice Project (November 2018)

A Webinar and Convening on the Criminalization of Viral Hepatitis

CHLP Staff Attorney Kate Boulton and National Community Outreach Coordinator Arpita Appannagari presented a webinar in October with Mike Selick from Harm Reduction Coalition, and Tina Broder (not pictured) from the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable. Punishment is not a Public Health Strategy: The Criminalization of Viral Hepatitis in the United States was an educational opportunity for advocates working in the connected fields of harm reduction, viral hepatitis treatment access, and HIV criminalization and was attended by about 200 people. The webinar slides are online.

The webinar was a lead-in to a November 1 convening on the same topic led again by CHLP, Harm Reduction Coalition and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable. Twenty leaders in the viral hepatitis, treatment access, harm reduction, and HIV criminal law reform movements gathered for a day-long meeting in Louisville. Together, they shared experiences and strategized about how to broaden the growing HIV decriminalization movement to include those living with viral hepatitis in the United States.

The Fine Print Blog—The Writing’s on the Wall: HIV anti-criminalization advocacy cannot ignore sex workers

Kate Boulton blogged on the recent Williams Institute report on HIV criminal laws in Florida showing that sex workers face disproportionate harm from HIV criminal laws. Kate argues that reform efforts that exclude those experiencing the most harm further stigmatize sex workers and overlook the racial, economic, and gender biases that blight our criminal legal system. Justice doesn't trickle down...reform must support the majority of those affected by HIV criminalization. Read the full blog here.

HIV Criminalization Beyond Non-Disclosure at the Harm Reduction Conference

In October, Arpita Appannagari traveled to New Orleans for the 12th Annual Harm Reduction Conference to present with Kiefer Paterson of Harm Reduction Coalition, Kate D’Adamo of Reframe Health and Justice, and Nora Fuller (not pictured) of AIDS United on HIV Criminalization Beyond Non-Disclosure: Advocacy Toolkits on Intersections with Sex Work and Syringe Use. Their presentation highlighted the need to build intersectional advocacy within the HIV criminal law reform movement. Data from Georgia and California, as well as more recent analysis from Florida, confirm that hyper-criminalized populations such as sex workers bear most of the harm from HIV criminalization. Legal reform must include these communities and the laws that directly affect them to tackle the ways in which HIV criminal laws are implemented on the ground.

A Pair of Presentations at the United States Conference on AIDS (USCA)

Kate Boulton and Arpita Appannagari presented at the annual United States Conference on AIDS in Orlando in September. This four-day conference brought together hundreds of HIV advocates to build capacity and share experiences to end HIV in the U.S. Kate presented with Eric Paulk of Georgia Equality and Kaleb Anderson, a student at Depauw University, on race, the U=U campaign and HIV criminal law reform. Arpita presented with Eric Paulk, Robert Suttle of the Sero Project, and Nora Fuller of AIDS United on structural interventions to end the criminalization of PLHIV.

U=U and HIV Criminal Law Reform Webinar Reprised

Kate Boulton, Eric Paulk of Georgia Equality, Carrie Foote of IUPUI/HIV Modernization Movement Indiana, and Mariah Wilberg of the Minnesota Department of Health presented a webinar version of their HINAC3 presentation: U=U and HIV Criminal Law Reform: Lessons from Current State Advocacy as a part of the After HINAC webinar series.

State Advocacy Working Groups

Most states are not currently in legislative session but state advocates continue to meet and strategize around HIV criminal law reform.

Arkansas HIV Reform Initiative
Meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month at 11:00 AM (CT).
If you/your organization are interested in supporting HIV criminal reform efforts in Arkansas, please contact Arpita Appannagari at [email protected]

California
If you/your organization are interested in supporting ongoing efforts by California advocates, please contact Brad Lundahl at [email protected] or 323-848-9801 for additional information.

Florida HIV Justice Coalition
Meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at 1:00 PM (ET).
If you/your organization are interested in supporting HIV criminal reform efforts in Florida, please contact Kamaria Laffrey at [email protected]

Georgia HIV Justice Coalition
Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 PM (ET).
If you/your organization are interested in supporting HIV criminal reform efforts in Georgia, please contact Johnnie Kornegay at [email protected].

Idaho Coalition for HIV Health and Safety
If you/your organization are interested in supporting ongoing efforts by Idaho advocates, please contact Kevin Lish at [email protected] for additional information.

Indiana HIV Modernization Movement
If you/your organization are interested in supporting HIV criminal reform efforts in Indiana, please contact Carrie Foote at [email protected].

Louisiana Coalition on Criminalization and Health
Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month at 11:00 AM (CT).
If you/your organization are interested in information about HIV criminalization in Louisiana or joining the LCCH, please contact Chip Eakins at [email protected].

Michigan Coalition for HIV Health and Safety
If you/your organization are interested in supporting ongoing efforts by Michigan advocates, please contact Kelly Doyle at [email protected].

Missouri HIV Justice Coalition
Meetings are held on the second Friday of the month at 1:00 PM (CT).
If you/your organization are interested in working with the Missouri HIV Justice Coalition, please contact Ashley Quinn at [email protected] or visit the coalition’s website for more information.

Ohio Health Modernization Movement
Meetings are held on the third Monday of the month at 5:00 PM (CT). 
If you/your organization would like information on HIV criminalization in Ohio or are interested in working with the Ohio Health Modernization Movement, please contact Kim Welter at [email protected].

Southern HIV Decriminalization Network
Meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of the month at 3:00 PM (ET)
If you/your organization would like information on HIV criminalization in the South or are interested in working with the Southern HIV Decriminalization Network, please contact Charles Stephens at [email protected].