NCJ Number
229384
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 89 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2009 Pages: 440-459
Date Published
December 2009
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between correctional officers' knowledge of HIV and their perceptions of risk.
Abstract
Results found that the majority of the staff felt inadequately informed about inmate infectious diseases and inadequately supplied with personal protective equipment in their institution. Officers who perceived a higher risk of contracting HIV scored lower on the HIV knowledge test and had less formal education. Findings reinforce the need for training or continuing education, particularly in the area of casual transmission of HIV. Fear of contact was also a predictor of knowledge level, whereby the officers who were more fearful also knew less about HIV. Correctional officers who viewed tattooing, IV drug use, anal sex, and oral sex as common at the unit where they worked were more likely to perceive a higher risk of contracting HIV. Although the accuracy of prisoner behaviors that might place them at risk could not be verified, these findings provide correctional administrators insight as to factors that influence perceptions of risk at the workplace. An inverse relationship was found between age and perceived risk; however, risk level did not significantly vary by length of employment, race/ethnicity, or assigned shift. Study results suggest the importance of continuous training not only in the area of HIV/AIDS, but in the broader area of infectious diseases, which should also include hepatitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, and other new emerging diseases. Data were collected from 377 prison correctional officers from Texas and 176 from Missouri. Tables and references