NCJ Number
121706
Journal
U.S. News and World Report Dated: (January 29, 1990) Pages: 20-26
Date Published
1990
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Limestone penitentiary in Capshaw, Ala., houses every male prisoner in the State who has tested positive for the AIDS virus, thus becoming a laboratory for testing whether quarantining works.
Abstract
In the few States like Alabama that have attempted to segregate offenders having the AIDS virus, there is no proof yet that quarantine is necessary, even within prisons. It is clear, however, that in the Alabama experiment and similar prison programs, the toll upon the personal dignity and peace of mind of all involved has been devastating. The "Thunderdorm," as Limestone prison has been nicknamed, is a new kind of death row. Inmates are forbidden to have contact with other, uninfected prisoners or perform ordinary prison jobs. When the segregated unit first opened in the mid 1980's, there was nothing for residents to do but watch television, smoke cigarettes, and have surreptitious sex. Inmates watched other inmates deteriorate and die from the virus, and they became preoccupied with their own deaths. Prison staff lived in fear of contracting the AIDS virus from the inmates, such that every bite, scratch, or spit left them with fear of having contracted the disease until their test came back negative. The unit continues much the same today, except that inmates no longer must wear surgical masks and gloves outside their cells or wipe the phone down with alcohol after making a call. A chaplain visits the inmates regularly.