Criminal Prosecution and HIV-related Risky Behavior / Adeline Delavande, Dana Goldman, Neeraj Sood.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Delavande, Adeline.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Goldman, Dana.

Sood, Neeraj.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w12903.

NBER working paper series no. w12903

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2007.

Summary:

We evaluate the consequences of prosecuting HIV+ people who expose others to the risk of infection. We show that the effect of aggressive prosecutions on the spread of HIV is a priori ambiguous. Aggressive prosecutions tax risky behavior and thus deter unsafe sex and limit the number of sexual partners. However, such penalties might also create unique incentives for having sex with more promiscuous partners such as prostitutes and consequently increase the spread of HIV. We test these predictions using unique nationally representative data on the sexual activity and prosecutions of HIV+ persons. We find that more aggressive prosecutions are associated with a reduction in the number of sexual partners and increased likelihood of safe sex. However, they are also associated with increased likelihood of having sex with prostitutes and not disclosing HIV+ status. Overall, our estimates imply that doubling the prosecution rate could decrease the number of new HIV infections by 12% over a ten-year period.

Notes:

Print version record

February 2007.