Our Services
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
- KEEPING IT REAL
CHJ's new substance abuse education program, "Keeping it Real" will provide critical HIV and substance abuse education through a rotating series of six workshops in jail units that house self-identified gay men (the "K6G Unit" of Men's Central Jail) and women who are housed at the Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF).
- CHJ's WOMEN'S PEER EDUCATION PROGRAM
CHJ's Women's Peer Education Program (WPEP), our first treatment-focused intervention with positive women, will meet the unmet education and healthcare access needs of HIV+ and at-risk women in the L.A. County Jail. The goal of WPEP is to educate and empower HIV+ women to stay healthy and advocate for their own healthcare, both during incarceration and after release.
In Custody Education
The primary goals of all of our in-custody treatment and education programs are to:
- Increase HIV prevention and treatment knowledge
- Improve self-advocacy
- Encourage healthier choices while incarcerated and upon release
- Provide support for newly adopted risk reduction techniques
- Reduce recidivism rates
- Encourage leadership development among current and post-incarcerated persons.
HIV Risk-Reduction and Treatment Education in the Los Angeles County Jails: with staff in the LA County Jails 5 days a week, we provide in-depth education on HIV transmission and treatment to hundreds of women and segregated gay, bisexual and transgendered men. Our classes include HIV 101; HIV Treatment 101; and a two-part Harm Reduction workshop; we also provide one-on-one counseling sessions to high-risk and HIV+ inmates.
Women’s Peer Education Program: an empowerment program for incarcerated women where we seek to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS by providing peer-based education and resources to reduce risk-taking behavior among women at sexual risk.
Substance Abuse Education Program: targeting self-identified gay men (the “K6G Unit” of Men’s Central Jail) and women who are housed at the Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF), Keeping it Real is a six-class series, a hybrid of our HIV educational intervention for groups, focused on risk reduction, safer sex negotiation skills, self-esteem, communication styles and skills, and disclosure issues, and the widely used and respected “Living in Balance,” a comprehensive addiction treatment program. Living in Balance is a psycho-educational and an experiential treatment model, facilitated by a professional counselor trained in the provision of alcohol and other drug treatment services.
Transitional Case Management: services are offered to HIV positive inmates within Los Angeles County Jails. Inmates are screened and linked to medical and mental health services within the correctional facilities, as well as social services as they reintegrate back into the community.
Prisoner Condom Access Programs: the largest program of its kind in the country, our Jail Condom Distribution Program provides condoms to segregated gay men in Men’s Central Jail in L.A. We have also piloted a new way of providing prisoners access to condoms – a dispensing machine – in the S.F. County Jails through a research grant with UCSF’s Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. We are leading this effort nationally, consulting with public health administrators and advocates about introducing prisoner condom access in their jurisdictions.
Pre-Release Counseling and Support: Our staff meets with prisoners prior to their release to help them develop a plan of action to make positive changes in their lives. Counseling includes discussion of HIV risk-reduction methods, development of a personal life plan, and encouragement to maintain healthier behaviors upon their return to the community. Our staff also works with clients to identify programs that can help them to address alcoholism, drug addiction, and other behaviors that can put them at risk for return to jail or prison.
