CHLP Releases New HIV Criminalization Maps
CHLP Releases New HIV Criminalization Maps
CHLP’s Positive Justice Project staff will hold webinar on February 26 to discuss the changes to this vital resource for people living with HIV and their advocates
NEW YORK – CHLP’s Positive Justice Project (PJP) announces the update of a signature resource that captures the threat to our communities posed by HIV criminalization laws across the country. Mapping HIV Criminalization Laws in the U.S. is designed to meet the needs of people living with and deeply affected by HIV, people advocating for reform of these laws and policies, and decision-makers implementing these laws and policies.
The release of CHLP’s revised HIV criminalization maps comes at a critical moment as the country faces an onslaught of threats to public health. With federal agencies like the CDC burdened with restrictions on their ability to communicate clear, science-based information on HIV criminalization, it’s more important than ever for advocates working on the ground to have access to accurate, comprehensive data.
“Our map is more than just a resource—it’s a call to action. It ensures that the truth about the legal threats to people living with HIV remains visible, accessible, and undeniable,” said Jada Hicks, CHLP Senior PJP Attorney. “In the face of government inaction, we will continue to expose the harm of these laws and equip local advocates with the information needed to fight these unjust laws.”
In the United States, 32 states criminalize people living with HIV (PLHIV) and 28 states have harsh criminal penalty enhancements that elevate charges based on a person’s knowledge of their HIV status. For more than a decade CHLP has produced maps that portray the variety and prevalence of these laws used to prosecute and punish PLHIV. This new release of the maps represents a substantial update resulting from a comprehensive research process and updated methodology based on CHLP’s Sourcebook on State and Federal HIV Criminal Law and Practice.
The new maps use an HIV specificity scale to identify laws that target PLHIV and other stigmatized health conditions through direct and indirect language. In addition to the novel HIV specificity scale, the new maps provide greater detail on enhancements to provoke a more nuanced discussion on the threat of HIV criminalization, especially for people with intersecting marginalized identities.
On Wednesday, February 26 at 11:30am CT / 12:30pm ET, CHLP Positive Justice Project staff members Kytara Epps, Jada Hicks, and Sean McCormick are hosting a webinar: Visualizing the Threat to Our Communities: New HIV Criminalization Maps from the Center for HIV Law and Policy. This presentation will discuss the update process and highlight important features of the new maps–including key definitions and concepts–and is being held in observance of the annual HIV is Not a Crime Awareness Day.
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