A total of 414 male prison inmates who were within 2 weeks of release were assigned to receive a pre-release HIV prevention intervention or to a comparison group. All participants completed a face-to-face survey at baseline; high rates of pre-incarceration at-risk behavior were reported. Follow-up telephone surveys were completed with 43 percent of participants. Men who had received the intervention were significantly more likely to have used a condom the first time they had sex after release from prison and also were less likely to have used drugs, injected drugs or shared needles in the first 2 weeks after release from prison. The study supports the premise that the ideal opportunity to introduce inmates to community prevention services is before they are released from prison rather than after release, when they are facing the stresses of community and family re-entry. Tables, notes, references