Yet denying condoms to sexually active inmates or ways of sterilizing needles to drug-addicted inmates means allowing the spread of HIV if correctional administrators are unable to prevent these activities, as current evidence shows has been the case so far. But so far, the California Department of Corrections isn't considering a policy change because of concerns that condom distribution would be seen as condoning forbidden sexual activity, or that condoms could be used weapons or smuggling devices. It is true that condoms would reduce the spread of AIDS, but that's where we stand. U.S. correctional institutions have also been criticized by the international public health community. According to the U.N. report, failure to proactively address the AIDS problem in prisons creates a public health danger to the society as a whole.
Prisoners are the community.
They come from the community, they return to it. Everything else is secondary. Also helping to expand the HIV education and prevention programs at CMC and other prisons is Centerforce, a Marin-based AIDS support program now using grant money to take systemwide the programs it started at San Quentin State Prison. But it's happening, and you have to protect public health. For each AIDS case doctors must fill out a reporting form, which includes a question asking the patients how they believe they contracted the disease.