NCJ Number
122276
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 53 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1989) Pages: 16-24
Date Published
1989
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Detention and probation workers in Illinois responded to a survey that asked them to rate the importance of AIDS for their profession, to assess the probability of coming into contact with HIV-positive offenders and the health risk AIDS poses for personnel, to describe the extent of discomfort they would feel interacting professionally with an HIV-positive offender, to evaluate the impact of AIDS on probation or detention practice, and to recommend AIDS training topics and policy and procedural guidelines.
Abstract
Most detention and probation personnel expected to encounter an HIV-positive offender or offender with AIDS during daily case management activities; an overwhelming majority of respondents rated AIDS as an important issue for their professions. Most participants answered they would be at least somewhat uncomfortable supervising these offenders; majorities of both detention and probation officers rated AIDS as a great or moderate health risk. Most participants recommended increased AIDS-related training, including safety precautions, utilization of protective measures during occupational contact, counseling skills, emotional support for families, and caseload management and agency operations. According to respondents, the major categories of necessary policy and procedural guidelines on AIDS involve AIDS training, safety measures, legal liability, and case management. More than one-third suggested that AIDS will have a minimal effect on future probation practices; those who believed there would be a greater impact also stated the necessity for permanent changes in staff training. Overall, detention personnel were more worried about the health risk of AIDS and believed the disease would affect the future monitoring of cases while probation officers envisioned changes largely in training, contact procedures, and judges' sentencing decisions. While respondents classified housing and custodial care of inmates as the most crucial issues, they strongly supported the privacy of persons with AIDS. Policy directives in probation and detention must be linked to definitive guidelines for practice and must be sensitive to staff input. 5 tables, 31 references.