Epidemiology of HIV/STD-Associated Risk Behaviors among Detained Adolescent Girls: Comparison with the National YRBS Sample and a Clinic Sample from an Epidemiological Criminology Perspective

African-American adolescent girls are disproportionately impacted by the HIV/STD epidemics. One understudied subgroup is African-American adolescent girls in detention centers. To gauge the extent of risk behaviors among this subgroup, we compared the prevalence of HIV/STD-associated risks among adolescent girls recruited in Regional Youth Detention Centers in Georgia, the national CDC YRBS sample of girls, and a clinic-based sample of African American girls.

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There are important differences in the magnitude and type of risks. Overall, the profile of risks suggests that detained youth are at markedly higher risk for HIV/STD relative to the YRBS and clinic samples. These findings suggest that HIV/STD prevention interventions for this subgroup need to be tailored to address prevalent risk behaviors and adolescents' history of trauma and abuse. From an epidemiological criminology perspective, these findings reflect the need to further examine the impact of public health prevention intervention strategies as they are implemented into criminal justice facilities, such as detention centers.