CIRA formed the Criminalization of HIV Exposure Work Group in July 2010 under the previous Law, Policy and Ethics Core whose functions are now integrated across the Center. The purposes of this multidisciplinary collaboration of policy makers, advocates, researchers, public health officials, and other relevant stakeholders are to examine critical public health, ethical, and legal issues around criminalization, discuss the ethical and public health implications of the criminal law, and develop research questions pertaining to criminalization of HIV non-disclosure, exposure and transmission in North America.
On the basis of voluntary participation, members are expected to partake in meetings/teleconferences and in-person events, and contribute to the development and timely review of working group products (e.g., publications, reports, research proposals, and other initiatives).
2011 Work Session
CIRA hosted a Research Agenda Setting Work Session on November 3 and 4, 2011. The work session aimed to articulate a research agenda around HIV criminalization drawing on the expertise of relevant stakeholders.
2013 Work Session
On June 6-7, 2013, CIRA hosted the second in-person work session themed Advancing the Research Agenda and Emerging Issues. Work group members and invited participants reviewed the work group's productivity and discussed emerging issues relevant to the impact of criminalization of HIV exposure on public health and HIV prevention efforts.
2016 Work Session
The third in-person work session was held at CIRA on April 7-8, 2016 and attended by 27 participants from the U.S. and Canada. Over the course of the two-day meeting, the group reviewed the current status of research, policy, advocacy and laws on HIV exposure and non-disclosure in North America, developed priorities for future work with emphasis on additional research to impact the continuing morass of legal and public health issues surrounding these laws, and identified opportunities for research and other collaboration. The Work Session closed with a public forum featuring presentations on criminalization as a women’s issue, nurses' knowledge of criminalization laws in North America, the racialization of HIV criminalization in mainstream media in Canada, and restoring science in public health law.
Projects and Resources Generated by the Work Group
Working Annotated Bibliography: this document provides an overview of literature on ethical, policy, legal, and public health issues relating to criminalization (first published in February 2012, updated in August 2018)
Criminalization of HIV transmission and exposure: research and policy agenda (published in American Journal of Public Health)
Project: Mapping Laws Criminalizing HIV Transmission (PI: Stephen Latham)
Research Study: With an Eye to the Law: Providing Client-Centered Care in the Shadow of Criminal Prosecution for HIV Exposure (PIs: Carol Galletly and Zita Lazzarini)
Criminalization of HIV Exposure: A Review of Empirical Studies in the United States (published in AIDS and Behavior)
Prosecutorial guidelines and convened prosecutors roundtable (leads: Catherine Hanssens and David LaBahn)
Resolution: Calling for Research on the Impact of the Criminalization of HIV Exposure on Women
- Comments and recommendations related to laws, policies and practices that could undermine approach to HIV prevention and care (submitted to the Office of National AIDS Policy and CDC)
Work Group Status
As of October 22, 2018, the work group is no longer active. CIRA will continue to bring together scientists, community-based organizations, advocates, and other stakeholders on an ad hoc basis to support new research collaborations related to the legal and policy environment affecting people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS. For questions about the work group, please contact Dini Harsono (dini.harsono@yale.edu).
