Report Shows Ohio One of Many States Still Prosecuting ‘HIV-Related’ Crimes

A new report from two Ohio organizations shows more than 200 cases of “HIV-related prosecutions” in Ohio. Researchers from Equality Ohio and the Ohio Health Modernization Movement looked at data from 2014 to 2020 to analyze six statutes still in Ohio law “that criminalize or create penalty enhancements for people living with HIV.” In dissecting the 214 cases, researchers found geographical and racial disparities in the data, with more than 26% of identified cases happening in Cuyahoga County and 35.9% of defendants charged identifying as Black, a far cry from the 12.5% of Ohioans identifying as “Black alone” in the 2020 census.