Reproductive-Injustice-FULL-REPORT-FINAL-2-11-15

Pathstone Inc. 390 runs the CJI program at Albion, and the Women’s Prison Association 391
provides CJI services at Bedford and Taconic. Of these prisons, Albion seems to have the most
robust CJI program, and Taconic, the least. When they were open, Bayview and Beacon had
more limited CJI programs and no peer educator component.
All three CJI programs received praise from women the CA interviewed and surveyed. Threequarters
(75%, 79 of 105) of HIV survey respondents, for example, rated the CJI program they
participated in as “good,” and only 4% (4 of 105) as “poor.” Many women praised the CJI peers
in particular:
• “I believe the best encouragement [for HIV testing] comes from our fellow peers.”
• “[T]hey don’t feel they are better, and they actually understand us.”
• “Peer education is a real gift. They give the message that we are in a safe space [and] that
we can go to get tested without fearing stigma or breach of confidentiality.”
Peer education also provides an opportunity for women hired as peers to engage in meaningful
training and bolster their chances for employment in the health field after release. One peer
expressed the general sentiment of the peer educators when she said, “I love my job.”
Women said that the top improvements they wanted for the CJI programs were more speakers
living with HIV and more updated health information.
The CA’s research suggests that DOCCS has been less effective
in informing women about hepatitis C. This information is
vital given that an estimated 17% of women in DOCCS have
hepatitis C, a rate significantly higher than the rate for
incarcerated men and the rate in the general public. 392 Only
half (52%, 55 of 105) of HIV survey respondents said they had
received information about hepatitis C since their incarceration
began. Such information, which can bolster prevention and
encourage affected women to seek help, has become even
more important with the recent arrival of new, highly successful
hepatitis C treatments. 393
No
48%
Yes
52%
Did anyone in DOCCS speak
to you about hepatitis C
HIV and STD testing
DOCCS seems to be doing a solid job providing opportunities for HIV testing. Nearly all HIV
survey respondents (98%, 83 of 85) said they had been tested for HIV at least once since
entering DOCCS custody.
Section 5 February 2015 161