Prisons See Major Drop In HIV-Positive Prisoners

HIV in prisons is at an all time low. This comes from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in a report “HIV in Prisons, 2015.”

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According to the report, in 1991 there were 17,680 prisoners who were HIV positive. In 1998, it reached its peak at 25,980. The number has decreased to 15,610 for state and federal prisons In 2015.  

The number of AIDS-related deaths also decreased significantly, from 73 deaths in 2010 to around 45 deaths in 2015, according to the report.

While there a various factors that could contribute to this number the report states that various testing practices during their admittance, while incarcerated, and as part of their release process, has decreased the number.

17 states have admitted to testing prisoners without their consent, while 15 offer testing to all prisoners. Most prisons report that the most common form of testing is at the prisoners request.

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It is great to see that in a sometimes-overlooked part of the population that prisons are working to help reduce the transmission of HIV. 

 

H/T: HIV Plus Magazine

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