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FORUM on Corrections Research
AIDS in Corrections
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In an effort to address the ever increasing problem arising out of the high concentration of inmates in
the prison population at risk of contracting AIDS, the National Institute of Justice and the American
Correctional Association undertook the development of a report to examine this complex and' difficult
issue. The report, which was entitled AIDS in Correctional Facilities: Issues and Options,
examines the various problems that correctional administrators must face when attempting to manage
inmates who have contracted the disease. The research team headed by Theodore Hammett, the director of the project, gathered information for the study from the responses to questionnaires that were sent to all 50 state correctional departments, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and 33 city and county jail systems. Results from the questionnaire revealed that, since 1981, 455 AIDS cases have been confirmed in 25 state and federal prisons. In addition, there have been a total of 311 confirmed AIDS cases among inmates in 20 city and county jail systems. The majority of AIDS victims in institutions are believed to have contracted the disease as a result or prior intravenous drug abuse. The report revealed that there were no known cases of correctional officers having contracted AIDS as a result of their contact with inmates. Respondents to the questionnaire stated that one of the major areas for policy implementation as a correctional response to the situation is to implement education and training programs. Specifically, the administrators argue that because there is currently no cure for AIDS, programs that emphasize training and education for both staff and inmates could help to decrease the spread of the disease in institutional settings. Secondly, mass screening for the AIDS antibody HTLV- 111 is another policy proposal advanced by some correctional administrators. There is considerable debate surrounding the ethical, legal and psychological consequences of such a policy; yet despite these implications, a number of the American state correctional systems have implemented or plan to implement such a program. Other considerations that must be examined in response to the spread of AIDS in prisons relates to the decision-making surrounding the housing of inmates with the disease. Hammett maintains that most correctional systems in the states place inmates who have been diagnosed and confirmed to have AIDS in a medical facility within the correctional system or in the community. However, correctional administrators must be aware of the factors involved in treatment such as the availability and location of the appropriate medical facilities, the costs involved in treating AIDS patients, and the costs of constructing and staffing a special AIDS unit inside the prison if necessary. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, one of the major challenges facing correctional administrators who must deal with inmates who have AIDS is to provide them with the compassion, professional care and support that they need in an effort to minimize the spreading of the disease and to alleviate the pain and suffering of those who are victims of the disease. Hammet, T.M. (1986). AIDS in Prisons and Jails: Issues and Options. National Institute of justice, U.S. Department of justice, Feb. 1-8. |
