Status-neutral interventions may improve access to HIV services for justice-involved adults, but they need rigorous evaluation.

People impacted by the criminal legal system are particularly vulnerable to HIV and often experience poor access to and benefits from HIV prevention and care services. They are also more likely to be unemployed, underemployed, or engaged in the informal economy, which increases their likelihood of becoming reincarcerated.

Interventions to support people regardless of HIV status (also called “status-neutral”) are a promising practice to improve access to HIV services. Status-neutral interventions are a holistic or whole-person approach to delivering services that also address employment, transportation, intersectional stigma, and other social and structural barriers to HIV services that adults impacted by the criminal legal system may experience.

While status-neutral interventions show promise in improving access to HIV prevention and care services, they have not yet been rigorously evaluated. It is important to build this evidence base and document implementation strategies that can support their adoption and delivery among this population.

NORC is supporting the implementation and evaluation of the J-RISE status-neutral interventions.

The University of Chicago School of Medicine was awarded a grant to conduct the J-RISE study, a project designed to test the effectiveness of a package of status-neutral interventions for individuals impacted by the criminal justice system. NORC's implementation and operational efforts are guided by two implementation science frameworks: Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM).

The status-neutral interventions for J-RISE are designed to improve HIV, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and/or employment-related outcomes among adults impacted by the criminal legal system who are risk for HIV. These interventions include:

• Transitional case management. Case managers will support access to HIV care, prevention, and supportive services.
  
• Employment navigation. Case managers will support employment, training, and career development goals.
  
• Contingency management. Providing financial incentives for the achievement of specific HIV care, treatment, and prevention-related milestones.
  
• Employer outreach and support. Providing education and outreach to local employers and staffing agencies to support the needs of formerly incarcerated individuals.
  

J-RISE will be implemented in three jurisdictions: Cook County, Illinois; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and New Orleans, Louisiana.