Focus group interviews were conducted with groups of women prisoners to explore inductively their HIV-related needs and concerns. Content analysis determined broad areas of general concern for the women and highlighted obvious cultural distinctions. This article concentrates on those cultural influences as they pertain specifically to Latina women. This population is most at risk of entering the correctional system with HIV infection, and its rates of infection keep rising. Discussions of the concepts of machismo and marianismo and the role of the Catholic Church emphasize the difficulties in creating and implementing effective prevention campaigns within U.S. prison systems, especially for this population. Policy implications are discussed and recommendations offered that consider the delimiting impact of culture on HIV education efforts among incarcerated Latina women.
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