To ascertain HIV/AIDS knowledge levels and the education needs of correctional officers in jails and state prisons in northwest Florida, a needs assessment instrument was administered in the workplace. State law requirements mandating annual HIV/AIDS training for correctional officers led to a hypothesis that state prison correctional officers would have greater knowledge levels than jail correctional officers, who do not have regularly scheduled training as there is no mandated program on the local level. On the whole, knowledge levels were good in both groups, with prison correctional officers scoring better than correctional officers in the jails on most items. However, statistical and item analyses of responses suggest that both groups generally are unable to consistently distinguish between various behavioral risk situations, at times rating similar risk situations very differently. This research is consistent with other studies whose results suggest that designs for educational programs intended for adults should employ an adult learning theory framework. Education better tailored to the environment and to the age and learning requirements of participants increases the probability that learners will be prepared to make effective decisions in the workplace.
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