This report presents results of a seventh survey of HIV/AIDS in correctional facilities.
Between November 1992 and March 1993, responses were received from all 50 State correctional departments and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Thirty-seven questionnaires were sent to large city and county jail systems in the United States, and 31 (84 percent) responded. The survey was supplemented with site visits to New York State, New York City, and Georgia. The survey revealed a cumulative total of almost 11,500 AIDS cases among inmates and almost 3,500 deaths attributed to AIDS. Incidence rates were higher among inmates than in the nonincarcerated population; they are slightly higher for female than for male inmates, especially in city/county jail systems. A wide range of HIV seroprevalence rates continues in correctional systems, from less than 1 percent to approximately 20 percent. In many jurisdictions, HIV seroprevalence is higher among female inmates than among male inmates. Where comparative data are available over time, however, HIV seroprevalence among inmates appears stable. There was a slight decline in instructor-led HIV/AIDS education, but an increase, particularly among State/Federal systems, in peer education programs. Legal developments included an order by a Federal court of appeals that a case in which the district court originally upheld Alabama's mandatory testing and segregation policy be remanded for partial rehearing in the district court. Information is also provided on housing and correctional management of inmates with HIV disease, as well as medical care and psychosocial services. 23 tables and chapter endnotes