Changing the Odds for Incarcerated Youth

Research shows that juveniles in confinement are disproportionately at risk for HIV and STIs. According to The Center for HIV Law and Policy, a national legal and policy resource and strategy center for people with HIV and their advocates, “Adolescents institutionalized in foster care and juvenile justice facilities are overwhelmingly members of the communities most affected by, and at risk for, HIV/AIDS.”

HiTOPS has been delivering HIV and pregnancy prevention workshops to incarcerated youth for many years with the support of New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Division of HIV/AIDS Services. HiTOPS is partnering with The Center for HIV Law & Policy to develop standards for HIV prevention strategies in juvenile justice sites in New Jersey.

Currently, thanks to a grant from Princeton Area Community Foundation and the Harbourton Foundation, HiTOPS has been able to broaden our outreach efforts to these very vulnerable youth; specifically incarcerated male and female residents ages 12 to 23 at juvenile justice centers in Mercer, Middlesex and Burlington counties.

Educators Diana Miranda and Carolyn Santoro gave workshops on Dating Violence to girls at the Hayes Juvenile Justice facility. By the end of the workshops: 100% of the students recognized that abuse is a form of control and emotional abuse can be just as devastating as physical abuse; 92% recognized that both males and females can be abusers and 85% recognized that violence is not a normal part of a relationship.

Educator Stephen Pitts met with 12 male residents, aged 14 to 17, at Albert Elias RCH, a juvenile justice residential home in Hopewell, New Jersey. At the end of his six sessions there was a 91% increase in knowledge of sexually transmitted infections.

The HiTOPS Teen Council, comprised of twenty area high school seniors trained in leadership and sexual health education, performed Break the Silence - HIV/AIDS Prevention to 25 male residents at the New Jersey Training School for Boys. As a result of the workshops 98% had accurate knowledge of how HIV/AIDS is transmitted and 88% of the participants said they would use protection during sex.

Dr. Elizabeth M. Casparian, HiTOPS Executive Director, notes, “We are grateful to have the opportunity to work with these youth who face increased risks at this time of their lives. These workshops, led by staff and the Teen Council, have allowed us to engage these young women and men, and provide them with knowledge and risk reduction strategies to empower them to make healthier decisions.”

Reducing high-risk drinking at Princeton University

On January 6th, 2010, Elizabeth Casparian participated in a meeting of the Princeton University Alcohol Coalition Committee (ACC) as a community stakeholder. The ACC, comprised of students, faculty administrators and representatives from the Princeton community, has been working towards creating a culture on campus where underage drinking and binge drinking are not the norm and where students have access to substance-free events and resources to support responsible alcohol use. The group published an excellent booklet called, "Alcohol: Just the Facts" which is available by contacting the ACC at http://www.princeton.edu/campuslife/acc/

Shirley Tilghman, President of Princeton University, has also recently commented on the ACC in The Daily Princetonian: http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/01/15/24895/