Abstract

AIDS: The diagnosis, management, and prevention of HIV infection in incarcerated populations were among the topics examined at the 21st National Conference on Correctional Health Care, held in San Antonio in November. The presence of HIV/AIDS in the prison system is examined in terms of barriers to prevention strategies, uses of compassionate release programs for terminally ill prisoners, and the accessibility and cost of treatment regimens for prisoners. Findings from two studies, one Canadian and the other from the Ninth National Survey of HIV/AIDS, STDs, and TB in Correctional Facilities, are presented. The Canadian study reveals that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS within the Canadian prison population was 2 percent in the general inmate population, 9 percent among inmates who were injection drug users (IDUs), and 14 percent among IDUs that shared needles. The American study shows an HIV-seropositivity rate in prisons four times greater than in the U.S. population, and the number of inmates living with AIDS is six times that in the total U.S. population. The current prevalence of HIV/AIDS among United States and Federal prison inmates is summarized in a table. Housing and segregation policies regarding HIV/AIDS inmates in U.S. prisons have decreased, although most correctional systems offer some discharge planning services. As of 1996, nearly all prison systems had policies that provide for HIV therapies; however, only 80 percent allow for viral load monitoring. The inmate population and the public at large are best served by a system in which the coordinated efforts of public health and correctional systems develop policies and programs to prevent HIV from spreading and help those who are infected.