NCJ Number
182081
Editor(s)
Vivien Stern
Date Published
1999
Length
289 pages
Annotation
These 17 papers present data on the tuberculosis epidemic among inmates in Russia and neighboring countries, examine the problems of treating tuberculosis in prisons, and examine solutions recommended by medical and prison experts at a seminar held in Budapest, Hungary, in June 1998.
Abstract
The papers note that an estimated 100,000 of the 1 million prisoners in Russia are infected with active tuberculosis; in Kazakstan, the figure is an estimated 20 percent. The spread of a new and more deadly form of tuberculosis that is resistant to the main drugs and is difficult and costly to cure has worsened this situation. Death rates from tuberculosis are high. The conditions in the overcrowded, unventilated, and unsanitary prisons in these countries contributed to the spread of tuberculosis. The correctional systems and the public health systems of these countries lack the resources to deal with the epidemic and provide appropriate treatment. Recommended solutions include correctional reforms that would significantly reduce pretrial detention and would increase the use of alternatives to institutionalization. Further recommended actions include public explanations of the reality of the problem and the provision of increased resources to improve prison conditions and inmate health care. Tables, figures, chapter reference notes, and appended background information and resource lists