Directly Observed Therapy for Community-Released HIV+ Prisoners (Connect)

• Virological success, defined as greater than 1 log HIV-1 copies/mL reduction or Viral load less than 400 copies/mL at the end of six months on the intervention. [ Time Frame: 12 months ]
  

• DAART subjects will be more likely to make primary HIV care visits than those receiving SAT. [ Time Frame: 12 ]
  
• Lower rate of recidivism and to illicit drug use [ Time Frame: 12 months ]
  

Any individual that is HIV positive and incarcerated for at least a period of 90 days and on antiretroviral medications would be referred to the study by the medical staff of the incarceration facilities prior to release or within 30 days of release an individual would be able to self refer.

Subjects would be screened and consented and interviewed prior to their release from incarceration, on their day of release, and monthly for a period of one year. At the time of their day of release interview, subjects are randomized to either the intervention DAART group or the standard of care SAT group. All subjects would be assessed and offered opiate substitution therapy if there was a prior history of opiate dependency as a means of relapse prevention.

Subjects in DAART would be seen everyday for a period of six months by a team of research assistants who observe the subjects taking their medications, and their last six months would be done as standard of care. Standard of care SAT subjects would continue to take their medications on their own as prescribed. All subjects would be interviewed monthly and quarterly would have laboratory blood tests completed.