Expert Consensus Statement on the Science of HIV in the Context of Criminal Law
Concerned that prosecutions are not always guided by the best available scientific and medical evidence, 20 of the world’s leading HIV scientists developed an Expert Consensus Statement to address use of HIV science within the criminal justice system.
The Statement was written to assist scientific experts considering individual criminal cases, and to encourage governments and those working in the criminal justice system to make all efforts to ensure a correct and complete understanding of current scientific knowledge informs any application of the criminal law in cases related to HIV.
Time to change HIV criminalization laws
“Paul hated taking pills. The sight of them made him retch, and it would take him hours to force down the pills that made up his treatment regimen. He would take them for months at a time but then tell me he needed a break. Once he could manage to think about swallowing pills again, he would restart his medications.”
Selected Policy Statements and Support for Ending HIV Criminalization in the United States
The growing list of organizations that have called for the repeal and end of HIV Criminalization.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors HIV Discrimination and Criminalization
The resolution adopted June 2013 by the 81st meeting of the US Conference of Mayors.
On March 15, 2014, the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Prevalence and Public Health Implications of State Laws that Criminalize Potential HIV Exposure in the United States, AIDS and Behavior.