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Tracy's Choices

NCJ Number
176559
Author(s)
M Anderson
Date Published
1997
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This videotape chronicles the life, involvement with drugs and prostitution, and death of Tracy Eichman, the first person in Illinois to be arrested, convicted, and incarcerated for knowingly attempting to transmit HIV, with emphasis on the choices that contributed to her problems and the roles of spirituality and Christianity in her recovery.
Abstract
The video uses interviews and news excerpts involving Tracy, her arresting police officer, a physician, and a dentist. The video traces her involvement with alcohol starting in kindergarten, her subsequent involvement in illegal drugs, and her decision at age 17 to become a prostitute to pay for drugs costing $200-400 per day. She describes how she became a born-again Christian after her arrest and conviction and how her spirituality aided her recovery from drug addiction and her subsequent decision to speak to youth and other groups to advocate a lifestyle free of drug use, alcohol abuse, and premarital sex. The speakers emphasize the importance of abstinence from sexual activity and drug abuse; the need for decision-making skills and personal responsibility; and the importance of adhering to Christian ethics, morals, and doctrine. (Publisher summary modified)