Criminal justice involvement, structural vulnerability and social safety net services among people living with HIV in Baltimore

Mass incarceration has shaped the environment of HIV transmission, yet there is limited research on the conditions that enhance or mitigate access to health and social resources for people living with HIV (PLWH) with criminal justice (CJ) involvement. This paper aims to explore structural vulnerability, social safety net services, and criminal justice involvement among PLWH. Among a community-based sample of 336 PLWH in Baltimore, Maryland, we compared measures of structural vulnerability and access to safety net services on the outcome of either recent involvement or no involvement in the CJ system. CJ involved PLWH were more likely to be structurally vulnerable and more likely to be enrolled in temporary social services and apply for permanent income. Enrollment in longer-term social services did not differ by CJ involvement, and neither did application for housing assistance. The results shed light on the socio-economic context of CJ involvement among PLWH. As the HIV epidemic persists, focusing research on the impediments to structural wellbeing, such as the drivers of criminal justice involvement, are important.