ABSTRACT
This paper will address counseling incarcerated individuals with the dual diagnosis of chemical dependency and HIV disease. While the number of incarcerated individuals with HIV disease and a history of chemical dependency is unknown, it has been estimated that between 50% to 85% of all individuals who are incarcerated have a prior history of alcohol and other drug use (New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, 1990; Malcolm, 1991). Given statistics of HIV infection for self-injecting drug using populations and the association between unsafe sexual practices and chemical use, inmates with alcohol and other drug histories clearly are at high risk for HIV infection (Andrus, Fleming, Knox et al., 1989; Hammet, 1989; Harding, 1987). A recent New York State Department of Health study examining HIV seroprevalence of entrants at two correctional sites found, for example, that almost half of all persons entering prison with a history of self-injecting drug use were HIV infected (New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, 1990).
