Prisons today face what might be a nearly insurmountable task: somehow to meld humane, safe confinement and correctional programming within the context of expanding populations of offenders serving longer sentences. The use of prison religious programs presents one unique program opportunity to channel inmates’ energies in meaningful and beneficial ways. Although religion has always played a vital role in correctional programming, it has also evoked controversy because uninhibited religious expression may conflict with concerns relating to security and safety. In this article, the authors assess a variety of issues surrounding the provision of religious services in prison settings.

One of the pressing public health concerns facing correctional systems today is HIV/AIDS. Although no segment of the incarcerated population is immune to this infection, an alarming number of female inmates have been shown to test positive for HIV at higher rates than male inmates. As women in prison have different treatment needs and problems than their male counterparts, the impact of such inmates on correctional health care services represents a potentially critical issue confronting correctional managers and correctional health service administrators. This article highlights the need for the corrections community to address the special needs of female inmates infected with the HIV/AIDS virus and to acknowledge the impact of HIV/AIDS on all imprisoned women in the United States.

Incarcerated black women in the southern USA are understudied despite the high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These incarceration and health disparities are rooted in centuries of historically inequitable treatment. Amidst the current dialogue on mass incarceration in the south and its relationship to the health of the black community, individual and environmental risk factors for STI/HIV transmission are seldom paired with discussions of evidence-based solutions. A narrative review of the literature from January 1995 to May 2015 was conducted. This sample of the literature (n = 18) revealed that partner concurrency, inconsistent condom use, sex work, previous STI, and drug abuse augmented individual STI/HIV risk. Recommended interventions include those which promote healthier relationships, cultural competence, and gender specificity, as well as those that enhance prevention skills. Policy recommendations include improving cultural sensitivity, cultural competence, and cultural humility training for clinicians, as well as substantially increasing funding for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitative services. These recommendations are timely given the recent national attention to incarceration, STI, and HIV disparities, particularly in the southern USA.

In the last decade, both the number of female inmates and the average length of their sentences have increased dramatically. A by-product of the recent "confinement era" within criminal justice is the influx of ill and generally unhealthy female offenders into this nation's correctional institutions. As women in prison have different treatment needs and problems than their male counterparts, there is a need for gender-appropriate programs. The impact of such inmates on correctional health care services represents a potentially critical issue confronting correctional managers and correctional health service administrators. This article highlights the need for correctional policy to address the health care needs of women prisoners with HIV/AIDS.

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