Introduction:

The human immunodeficiency virus infection is a world public health problem. In terms of vulnerability, the penitentiary system favors the transmission of infectious diseases.

Objective:

To analyze the vulnerability of prisoners to human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Methods:

Cross-sectional study conducted in 950 inmates in Teresina, Piaui based on an epidemiological survey.

Results:

The prevailing age group was 30 years (65.37 %). Most of them (91.68 %) had never attended school, 79.16 % reported the use of alcohol beverages and 61.37 % reported the use of any kind of illicit drug. It was proved that 66.21 % of inmates had tattoos and 15.58 had piercing. As to sexual practice, 90.84 % had intercourse with the opposite sex but just 27.26 % regularly used condoms. Most of the prisoners had certain knowledge about the virus. There was statistically significant association when crossing the variables such as years of study, family incomes (p< 0.01), use of some drug (p= 0,01), piercing cut and exchange of devices (p< 0,01), use of piercing (p= 0.01), sexual partner (p< 0.01) and use of condom (p< 0.01).

Conclusions:

The results of this study reiterated that the prisoners represent a vulnerable group to the virus infection and underlined the need for public actions including the strategies responding to the health demands of the penitentiary system of that state.

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