Criminalization

Did you know? 44 US states or territories have HIV-specific criminal statutes, or have brought HIV-related charges, criminalizing HIV exposure and/or transmission through consensual sex, needle sharing, or through spitting and biting–despite the fact that spitting and biting have not been shown to pose a significant risk of transmitting HIV. PWN-USA is proud to be a co-organizer, with SERO Project, of HIV Is Not a Crime II National Training Academy, June 3-6, 2018, in Indianapolis, IN. PWN-USA Tools and Resources:

• PWN-USA Criminalization factsheet (PDF version)
• All Pain, No Gain: HIV Criminalization in Pennsylvania (AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, SERO Project, PWN-USA Philadelphia), April 2016
• We Stand with Michael Johnson: HIV Is Not a Crime – HIV and Justice Organizations Stand with Michael Johnson and All Black Gay Men, and Condemn Laws Criminalizing HIV-Positive Status, May 15, 2015
• PWN-USA Gives Testimony Against Harmful HIV-Specific Bill in Rhode Island, By Naina Khanna, February 24, 2015
• HIV Is Not a Crime: Images, Perspectives and Strategies from the Grinnell Gathering – June 12, 2014
• Women, HIV and Criminal HIV Exposure and Transmission Laws: American Bar Association Testimony, By Brook Kelly, October 2010

PWN-USA Opinion Pieces:

• HIV Survivors Need Support, Not Jail Cells, by Monique Howell-Moree, May 11, 2016
• I’m Feelin’ Like a Criminal: Why the Law Won’t Stop the Spread of HIV, By Loren Jones, PWN-USA Board Member, March 8, 2015
• We’ve Come Too Far to Have HIV Criminalization Laws: How These Laws Impact the Lives of Women with HIV, By Teresa Sullivan, PWN-USA Board Member, March 7, 2015
• Facts, Not Fear: In Ohio and Everywhere, HIV Is Not a Crime, By Naimah Oneal, Regional Co-Chair, PWN-USA-Ohio, June 26, 2014

Other Resources:

• FAQ for New CA Law (SB 239) (1) – California modernized its HIV criminal laws in 2017. Read this fact sheet to understand the changes.
• SERO Project – SERO is a network of people with HIV and allies fighting for freedom from stigma and injustice
• Ending and Defending Against HIV Criminalization: A Manual for Advocates, vol. 1 – State and Federal Laws and Prosecutions, The Center for HIV Law & Policy and Positive Justice Project, Fall 2010
• Unjust, Unjustified and Just Unacceptable: HIV Criminalization’s Impact on Human Rights and Public Health, Lambda Legal and Center for HIV Law & Policy

Californians for HIV Criminalization Reform, of which PWN-USA is a member, gathered in the summer of 2015 in three different parts of the state for community forums on HIV disclosure and transmission laws, to educate the wider community about HIV criminalization laws, how HIV criminalization laws impact Californians, and how to get involved in changing them. Read More