Reading List

Enforcement of HIV Criminalization in Mississippi

The Williams Institute analyzed data from the state of Mississippi about individuals arrested for an allegation of an HIV-related offense under Section 92-27-14 of the Mississippi Criminal Code. The study revealed at least 43 people arrested between 2004 and 2021.

Highlights of the report:
- Mississippi’s HIV criminal laws disproportionately impact men and Black men in particular.
- Enforcement of HIV criminal laws is concentrated around the state’s capital and near the Gulf Coast.
- Mississippi’s criminal laws do not require the actual transmission of HIV or the intent to transmit HIV.

Assessment of Legal, Regulatory & Policy Environment for HIV and AIDS in Malawi

Designed to help governments and civil society review laws and policies based on human rights, and increase capacity to achieve enabling legal environments. Includes recommendations on criminalisation at pages 120-122.

‘The intention may not be cruel… but the impact may be’: understanding legislators’ motives and wider public attitudes to a draft HIV Bill in Malawi

Participatory Action Research undertaken during consideration of new HIV criminalisation laws in Malawi in 2010/11 indicated the proposed bill manifests a tension between intention and impact. By incorporating criminal sanctions as part of the proposed HIV bill, the lawmakers actively seek to use stigma to shape social attitudes and attempt to guide normative behaviour.