Prisons

2 Pages 572 Words

Inmates that have contracted AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) or have tested positive for HIV (Human Immune Virus) pose many problems and challenges for the correctional institution in the United States. Initially treating an inmate for this particular disease is very expensive to treat. These treatment costs falls upon the corrections system. Another aspect of inmates with AIDS or HIV present a safety concern for many involved in the corrections system. With the disease being so easily transmitted anyone who comes in contact with an infected inmate could be at risk. A final problem that an AIDS inmate creates is what to do with an inmate that is infected.
The cost of treatment for anyone who has AIDS is very expensive. The health care that is currently provided to inmates is insufficient. Numerous inmates die from AIDS related deaths due to poor health care in the correctional system. Funding is given by National and State governments to combat this issue inside America’s prisons. “In New Jersey, the annual expense for treating one prisoner with HIV cocktail costs from $10,000 to $15,000, and the cost jumps to $70,000 for prisoners for prisoners with full-blown AIDS” Welch. The medical plan that New Jersey has in place covers about $2,900 per inmate only. The funding is not inadequate and many inmates have died needlessly. Since there is no cure for AIDS, there is no easy to way to solve this problem. The only thing the correctional system can do is to try and delay the onset and symptoms of the disease.
Safety is always the foremost concern of prisons in the United States. Inmates that have AIDS can have the upper hand in many aspects. Guards must take special precautions when dealing with an inmate that has contracted the disease. If inmates with the disease decide to attack another prisoner or guard they could transmit the disease easily. Many citizens along with prison officials would like to hav...