NCJ Number
174561
Journal
Canadian HIV/AIDS Policy and Law Newsletter Volume: 3 Issue: 2/3 Dated: Spring 1997 Pages: 26-29
Date Published
1997
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper summarizes testimony on HIV/AIDS in Canadian correctional facilities before the Parliamentary Subcommittee on HIV/AIDS, with attention to the extent of the problems raised by HIV/AIDS and drug use in the Canadian Federal prison system.
Abstract
The hearing took place on November 26, 1996, 2 months after the release of "HIV/AIDS in Prisons: Final Report." Ole Ingstrup, the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) testified that the number of Federal inmates known to have HIV or AIDS increased by 46 percent between 1994 and 1996. He further reported that, according to a CSC survey of 4,300 inmates, 26 percent of inmates engage in "risky practices" such as needle sharing, tattooing, or unprotected sex. Ralf Jurgens, Project Coordinator of the Joint Network/CAS Project on Legal and Ethical Issues Raised by HIV/AIDS, summarized the recommendations made in "HIV/AIDS in Prisons: Final Report." He argued that public health measures that have proven effective in the community and in many prisons around the world should be instituted in Canadian prisons. Pat Sasakamoose-Tait, a counselor and AIDS educator at the Katarokwi Native Friendship Centre in Kingston, drew attention to the overrepresentation of first nations people in prisons and the need to impart to them culturally relevant information about HIV/AIDS. Other witnesses noted the lack of a systematic strategy for preventing HIV/AIDS among prisoners as well as an effective health care program for those with HIV/AIDS. This paper reports that following the hearing, a first draft of the subcommittee's report endorsed the recommendations in "HIV/AIDS in Prisons: Final Report." This includes recommendations that methadone maintenance treatment be accessible in prisons and that pilot projects for the distribution of sterile injection equipment be undertaken. 6 notes