NCJ Number
116969
Journal
Research Update Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (Winter 1988) Pages: 1-10
Date Published
1988
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Because intravenous drug users and homosexual and bisexual men, two groups at high risk of AIDS infection, are overrepresented among suspects and offenders, the AIDS epidemic has evoked a great deal of fear in the law enforcement and corrections communities.
Abstract
Concerns about AIDS were expressed by 33 of 35 law enforcement agencies in a recent survey. A 1987 report identified a variety of AIDS-related operational, training/education, and labor relations and legal issues. These included the need to develop safety and infection control procedures, staff and community education programs, and policies on antibody testing and job-related human immunodeficiency virus infection. Three studies have examined the incidence of AIDS in correctional settings. A 1986 study of 58 correctional systems identified 1,232 AIDS cases among inmates, and another identified 8 AIDS cases among correctional staff (7 of whom had known AIDS risk factors). Profiles of inmates with AIDS show them to be black or Hispanic, male, single, and with a history of intravenous drug use prior to incarceration. As in law enforcement, AIDS raises correctional management issues related to AIDS screening, prevention, and intervention in the areas of housing, health care, and aftercare. AIDS-related legal issues facing corrections include confidentiality, failure to protect, and equal protection. In the California State prison system between 1984-1986, 41 inmates had AIDS, 64 had AIDS-related complex, 29 were infected with the AIDS virus, and there were 25 inmate AIDS mortalities. Training, organizational, and information resources are listed. 18 references.