CONDOMS AND CLEAN NEEDLES FOR CONVICTS?

This is a stretch even for the ACLU.

INTERESTING HIV POLICY
By Bob Walsh

PACOVILLA CORRECTIONS blog
April 16, 2010

There are two states that have a strict prison segregation policy for HIV positive inmates. South Carolina is one of them. (The other is Alabama.) That bothers the ACLU and Human Rights Watch.

"Our system provides quality health care and treatment to HIV-positive inmates at the lowest possible cost, and it protects the public, or staff and inmates from the spread of the disease," said Josh Gelinas, the Corrections Department spokesman. "We can't think of any reason to change such a successful system."

The systems have mandatory testing policies that appear to work. South Carolina began their program in 1998. They currently have 420 inmates, men and women combined, in HIV segregated housing. In that time there has only been one case of inmate-to-inmate HIV transmission.

The ACLU wants to mix them with the general population and provide condoms and clean needles for "protection". They are also bothered by the fact that now the other criminals know who the HIV-positive criminals are. Damn shame.