AIDS in prison

Abstract

A survey carried out in 17 countries on behalf of the Council of Europe shows how prison doctors and administrations have reacted to the AIDS epidemic in ways that are not always scientifically and ethically sound. The pressing need to control HIV infection in prison, to counsel and support seropositive prisoners, to care for prisoners who get AIDS, and to cope with the psychosocial pressures within a closed, authoritarian environment pose a serious challenge to prison medical services; it is far from certain that they have sufficient resources and professional independence to cope. Failure to react adequately to the AIDS epidemic in prisons would have serious consequences both for the community as a whole and for the ethical position of prison doctors.