It is unprotected sex and sharing of injection equipment. Nationwide, according to Bureau of Justice statistics, AIDS cases were six times more prevalent in the prison population than in the general population. At the end of 1995, there were 5,099 confirmed AIDS cases in prisons, and AIDS was the cause of 34 percent of all inmate deaths. Unfortunately, most cases of HIV go undetected within the prison system, Dr. Altice says. Dr. Altice has developed programs that link HIV-infected inmates to community health care when they leave prison.
Stable housing remains one of the most crucial and unavailable unmet needs.
The best we can do is get them into a shelter. Sometimes you have to put a Band-Aid on one wound while you're dealing with other wounds, such as accessing drug treatment and medical care. Originally published in Yale Medicine, Summer 1998. All rights reserved.