Most prisoners leave prison at some point to return to their community, some after only a short time inside. Some prisoners enter and leave prison many times. Prisoners deserve the same level of care and protection that people outside prison get. There is no doubt that governments have a moral and legal responsibility to prevent the spread of HIV among prisoners and prison staff and to care for those infected. They also have a responsibility to prevent the spread of HIV among communities.
Prisoners are the community.
They come from the community, they return to it. Introduction of preventive measures in prisons, and providing inmates with medical care equivalent to that available outside, is in the interest of all concerned. Any measure undertaken to prevent the spread of HIV and other infections will benefit prisoners, staff, and the public. It will protect the health of prisoners, who should not, by reason of their imprisonment, be exposed to the risk of a deadly condition. It will protect the public.