HIV in Prisons, 1997

• NCJ Number: 178284
• Author(s): Laura M. Maruschak
• Date Published: November 1999
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Series: BJS Bulletins
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Statistics

Annotation

This bulletin provides data on the number and characteristics of State and Federal inmates who were HIV-positive in the years 1991 through 1997, according to jurisdiction.

Abstract

Provides the number of HIV-positive and active AIDS cases among prisoners held in each state and the federal prison system at yearend 1997. For prisons, the report provides data on the number of AIDS-related deaths, HIV-testing policies, a breakdown for women and men with AIDS, and comparisons to AIDS rates in the general populations. Based on the 1997 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, the report also provides such estimates by sex, race, Hispanic origin, age, education, marital status, and current offense and estimates by selected risk factors, such as prior drug use.

• Between 1991 and 1997 the number of HIV-positive prisoners grew at a slower rate (34%) than the overall prison population (49%).
• At yearend 1997, 3.5% of all female state prison inmates were HIV positive, compared to 2.2% of male state prisoners.
• New York held about a third of all inmates (7,500 inmates) known to be HIV positive at yearend 1997.
• Of all HIV-positive prison inmates, 26% were confirmed AIDS cases. In state prisons 26% of HIV-positive inmates had AIDS; in federal prisons, 36%.