NCJ Number
175575
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 23 Issue: 10 Dated: October 1998 Pages: 5-6-10
Date Published
1998
Length
5 pages
Annotation
AIDS in correctional facilities is discussed with respect to correctional administrators' policies and the results of a 1995 survey of 775 men who had just been released from Texas prisons.
Abstract
Current policies variously include mandatory AIDS testing; segregation of AIDS-infected inmates; and the notification of staff, inmates, or both regarding infected offenders. Courts have usually upheld the policies as long as facilities demonstrate a rational relationship between the policy and the legitimate correctional goals of safety, security, and treatment. The survey collected information from 41 percent of the 1,900 inmates released during a 6-week period. Participants were asked about their level of support for the three types of correctional AIDS policies and about their opinion of the likelihood of contracting AIDS while in prison. Results revealed overwhelming support for correctional AIDS policies. Younger ex-offenders were considerably more supportive of AIDS policies than were older ones and were also the least concerned about contracting AIDS while in prison. Overall, 48 percent of the participants believed that the chance of contracting AIDS in prison was low. Findings suggested that younger inmates may be less likely than older inmates to avoid risks behaviors connected with AIDS transmission and that inmate AIDS education is essential to overcoming the differential misunderstanding on the part of younger and older inmates. Tables and 5 references