Vaccination in Juvenile Correctional Facilities: State Practices, Hepatitis B, and the Impact on Anticipated Sexually Transmitted Infection Vaccines

Abstract

Juvenile correctional facilities are an ideal setting to provide preventive vaccines to adolescents who are at risk. In many instances of incarceration, facilities overcome the need for parental consent by making young people wards of the state and the state providing consent. The authors investigated current state practices for administering hepatitis B vaccine to incarcerated adolescents. These may impact the delivery of anticipated sexually transmitted infection (STI) vaccines to incarcerated adolescents. From June to August 2004, interviews were conducted with state Immunization Program Managers by telephone about hepatitis B vaccination and consent policies in juvenile correctional facilities. Forty-five states were able to provide information about hepatitis B immunization in publicly funded juvenile correctional facilities. Forty-one of the 45 states offered hepatitis B vaccine to adolescents who were sentenced and thereby considered to be wards of the state. Of those 41 states, 20 also made hepatitis B vaccine easily accessible to detained adolescents (no parental consent required). Those 20 states considered detained adolescents as wards of the state (n=13), or allowed them to self-consent for the vaccine (n=7). Most states offer hepatitis B vaccination to sentenced adolescents in correctional facilities. Just over half of these states also vaccinate detained adolescents. Juvenile correctional facilities have experience administering vaccines, and this might allow for expansion of vaccination services when new STI vaccines become available. Still, there are major barriers to universal vaccination of incarcerated adolescents, including the issue of consent.