Table 3.

Illustrative quotes for each social and sexual network-level theme from interviews with participants recruited from the social networks of women who have experienced incarceration in the Southeastern US, 2020.

Theme	Quotes
“It’s like a ripple effect” Partner and network risk assessment	I mean, they’ve engaged in risky behavior with other people besides me and then that affected my risk. Elizabeth, age 38 I told him that…because he cheated on me – so, I went and got like the STD screen, and I got an HIV test. Lauren, age 37 So in the past, I would just sleep with somebody to get the things that I would want. So there was never really any type of communication, or trust, or connection emotionally, or—it wouldn’t even have to be a physical attraction. The person that I’m with today, there’s respect, and trust, and communication, and honesty, appreciation, like, just things that base a good relationship off of. Rachel, age 33 [Her sexual partner]’s a shooter and whatever not, so like I don’t know what he’s doing out there, but I know it’s not good. So he’s probably not trying to prevent himself from doing anything like that [that would increase risk]. Courtney, age 28
“What are you trying to tell me?” Communication and trust	We both have engaged in risky behavior, and I know that he has hepatitis. So I will, you know, when we do engage in sexual activity, we’ve talked about being careful. And just because I want a future with him, that also affects me in not making bad decisions. Elizabeth, age 38 I don’t think that [PrEP] would be a big deal…I mean, I’m sure it wouldn’t be—if I decided to take it in my current relationship. I don’t believe it would be a problem that I should take it. I don’t believe that my partner would have an issue with it. Besides just wondering, I guess, why he thought I needed it. Unless—and I don’t believe I would be taking it in my current relationship unless I had just a bad feeling that something wasn’t right and he—and maybe I thought, you know, he was cheating on me or something, or if I was cheating on him— then, you know. I wouldn’t take it unless I felt like that. Chelsea, age 34
“We’re staying clean together” Support from (treatment) peers	[A friend in the program,] she just helps me stay on the right path.” Stephanie, age 30 We [friends in the program] just talked like how men do, just tell ‘em how I feel. They’d just tell me, you know, straight up—I mean, I could make a decision, and they would support it. John, age 34
“They probably wouldn’t care” The difference with drug use networks	So I don’t think - I don’t think in the culture [of people engaging in substance use]—that culture, that somebody’s gonna care that I’m protecting myself, you know. They’re like, ‘All right, cool. Whatever.’ Megan, age 35 They probably wouldn’t wanna share a needle with me [if I were using PrEP], ‘cause you can tell someone you’re using it just to be safe, but unless they have knowledge on the medication—when I first saw it, back in the day, I would’ve been like, ‘Well, damn. Something must happen for this person to need to take that,’ Rachel, age 33 I think like most people, I mean, the people that I was around far [out] west, like, they didn’t care either way. Amber, age 31
“My family and them” Family	[An older female relative] sits there, and she’ll tell me, you know, not to be out here screwing everybody to get some kind of disease. It’s, you know, she’s tough love only. Courtney, age 28 But I never shared needles, so—the only person I ever shared-shared a needle with was my sister. And she gave me hep C. Christina, age 37 [My daughter] was young, growing up with me. And, I don’t know, I think just, like, not wanting to have any needles and stuff around her made me, like, I kinda had to shelter her so I could – so it kept it away from me. Angela, age 36 I just wanna be here for [my daughter] forever. So, I would always protect myself from here on out. Jessica, age 37