People used to think that treating prisoners with HIV would break the bank. That's nothing compared to what treating hepatitis C would do,'' he said. Incidence of HIV among the prison population, although much higher than in the community at large, is still relatively low. For those who are infected with both HIV and hepatitis C, the prospects are grim. Prisoners are San Quentin are told about AIDS and hepatitis C as they enter the prison and are urged not to do things that could put them at risk, including tattooing, body piercing, fighting, sharing razors, sharing needles and engaging in homosexual sex.
Prison rape puts inmates at additional risk.
At one briefing for newly admitted prisoners this week, John Romain, a peer counselor serving three years for drug possession, did not mince his words. Don't share needles, don't do tattoos , don't share needles with nobody, don't share cotton balls, don't share water, don't share toothbrushes, don't share nothing with no one,'' he said. Judy Greenspan of California Prison Focus, a grass-roots advocacy group, said San Quentin was the exception in the state prison system. Other facilities offered little or no health screening and education to inmates. We have people who have gotten sick and gone back to their medical records and found they tested positive in prison years ago.