Incarceration among young injectors in San Francisco: associations with risk for hepatitis C virus infection

Abstract

Background: We describe incarceration history (jail or prison) among a community‐based sample of young injection drug users (IDU) (age<30 years) in San Francisco, and examine associations between selected socio‐demographic and behavioral characteristics and hepatitis hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections.Methods: Cross‐sectional baseline data from study of street‐recruited young IDU in San Francisco were analyzed.Results: In a sample of 839 young IDU, median age was 22 years, 70% were male, 86% had a lifetime history of incarceration, and 56% had been incarcerated in the prior year. Serologic markers of HBV and HCV infections were significantly higher among those with any history of incarceration (29% and 42% respectively) compared with those with no incarceration history. Variables independently associated with recent incarceration were gender (male), homelessness, increased years of injecting, and a history of having ever borrowed previously used needles for injecting. Variables independently associated with any lifetime history of incarceration included: gender (males), educational level, homelessness, increased years of injecting, and anti‐HCV status.Conclusions: Interventions to increase geographic and social stability, such as safe transitional housing, and clean and safe injecting spaces, may also contribute greatly to reducing both incarceration and bloodborne infection in this young high‐risk population.