Lee Bill Aims to Reduce the Spread of AIDS in Prisons
(Oakland, CA) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) announced at a forum she hosted on AIDS in the African American community in Oakland on Saturday that she has introduced legislation aimed at stopping the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in prisons.
“If we are serious about ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic we need to stop our prisons from being breeding grounds for the disease,” said Lee. “The fact is that more than 90 percent of incarcerated people return to our communities, and the head-in-the-sand approach to AIDS in prisons poses a serious public health risk for the general population.”
The Justice for the Unprotected against Sexually Transmitted Infections among the Confined and Exposed, (JUSTICE) Act of 2006 (H.R. 6083) would allow community organizations to provide condoms, information and counseling on the spread of AIDS and other STIs in federal correctional facilities. It would also require an annual survey of all federal, state, and territorial correctional facilities to determine what policies are in place regarding: testing for STI’s, sex education, counseling, treatment, and health referral services prior to re-entry. The survey is designed to provide the demographic data on STI testing for each infection based on race, age and gender in order to determine who is at risk and to help target prevention messages and behavior change programs.
Building on the initial survey, the bill requires the development of a five year strategy to reduce the transmission of STI’s in all correctional facilities by requiring specific individual plans to expand and guarantee access to prevention, education, counseling, testing, treatment, and health referral services prior to re-entry. The strategy also requires the development of monitoring and evaluation tools with specific goals to reduce transmission as well as a detailed request for funding over a five year period.
The rate of HIV/AIDS is disproportionately high among incarcerated persons. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that the rate of confirmed AIDS cases is 3 times higher among incarcerated persons than in the general population. Studies suggest that other STIs, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, genital herpes, viral hepatitis and human papillomavirus, also exist at a higher rate among incarcerated persons than in the general United States population.
Minorities account for the majority of AIDS-related deaths among incarcerated persons, with African-American incarcerated persons 3.5 times more likely than White incarcerated persons and 2.5 times more likely than Hispanic incarcerated persons to die from AIDS-related causes.
“This bill takes an important first step towards addressing the negative impact of our criminal justice system in perpetuating the spread of HIV among African Americans and communities of color,” said Lee.
Currently, correctional facilities do not have a uniform system of STI testing and reporting and most correctional facilities ban the use and possession of condoms.
Lee’s bill mirrors efforts in California to allow non-profits and public health care agencies to make condoms available in state correctional facilities. A bill (AB 1677) authored by Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) recently passed the California State Legislature and is awaiting the Governor’s approval.
"As we introduce this legislation today at the federal level, I urge the Governor to promptly sign the Koretz bill and send a message to the rest of the country that California is serious about stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS in our prisons," said Lee.
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