Week 4: Prison Disease
Many diffrerent diseases are prevelant throughout the prison system, and most of the time these diseases are unknown and unidentified for the person with that disease. HIV and AIDS is a problem that has become one of those diseases that can not be controlled in jail. One of the main reasons for that is that even though sexual relations is not permitted in the system, it happens and because condoms can not be passed out, those who have HIV or AIDS and are sexually active inside the walls, can be passing from partner to partner.
In a radio show broadcast on October 1, 2008 through North Carolina Public radio, the idea of AIDS in prison is something that is addressed. AIDS has become a widespread issue in prisons especially in the south, and now they are passing new rules and regulations in order to try and combat this issue before it gets out of hand. In North Carolina in state prisons, testing is now being done to new inmates, for HIV/AIDS and syphilis, another disease that while it is widespread has very few noticeable symptoms. As the radio show states, “over 20,000 prisoners in the United States have HIV/AIDS and over half of that are in prisons in the south”.
This is never really addressed because it, is not something that people want to understand as a reality. A lot of these inmates that have these diseases are those that are coming in and out of the prison system. During this radio show, doctors that have noticed what has been going has been happening under the radar, and since sexual relations is against the rules, it is not something that is “really happening”. My topic addresses how people are treated in prison and like in the real world, those with AIDS are sometimes looked down upon, because of the nature of the disease, and how it becomes an issue. Those who have AIDS and get tested for it in prison, sometimes do not want other inmates to know, because of how they will be treated, but by not letting those people know and continuing with sexual activity is a threat both parties.
HIV AIDS in Prison
Wednesday, October 01 2008 by Rose Hoban
Recent numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the AIDS epidemic continues to expand, especially in the South. And one of the populations here with persistently high rates of infection are people in prison. But workers from an HIV clinic in Henderson are hoping to stem the spread of HIV behind bars and beyond. Rose Hoban reports
http://wunc.org/programs/news/archive/NRH100108.mp3
10/19/2008 at 10:49 pm
This is a very interesting topic because it is not openly discussed in society and because it is an undercover situation that only affects a certain population in society. The prison system is a very complex institution in where the inmates are depersonalized and treated less than humans. The majority of the inmates in many counties are African American therefore their treatment and abuse is much harder. One thing that needs to be acknowledged when speaking about AIDS and HIV within the prison system is the inmate’s state of mind. When the prisoners become part of this institution their life perception and life aspirations evolve into a different sense. The prisoners love for themselves, family, and friend’s changes. Their state of mind is weaker therefore they do not care of what happens to them or what they contract because they feel they have nothing to life for. For that reason when targeting AIDS and HIV in the prison system not only condoms will be effective but psychological help will do the work.