TY  - JOUR
AU  - Delavande,Adeline
AU  - Goldman,Dana
AU  - Sood,Neeraj
TI  - Criminal Prosecution and HIV-related Risky Behavior
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 12903
PY  - 2007
Y2  - February 2007
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w12903
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w12903.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Adeline Delavande
University of Essex
E-Mail: a-delavande@fe.unl.pt

Dana Goldman
Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics
University of Southern California
 3335 S. Figueroa St, Unit A
 Los Angeles, CA 90089-7273
Tel: (213) 821-7948
Fax: (213) 740-3460
E-Mail: dana.goldman@usc.edu

Neeraj Sood
Department of Clinical Pharmacy
USC School of Pharmacy
1985 Zonal Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Tel: 310/393-0411
Fax: 310/260-8156
E-Mail: nsood@usc.edu
AB  - 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.
ER  -