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The short explanation of this alert was:

Congresswoman Barbara Lee has authored a bill, HR 178, the "Justice for the Unprotected Against Sexually Transmitted Infections among Confined and Exposed (JUSTICE) Act" that attempts to eliminate obstacles to enabling a comprehensive program that could remedy the disproportionate impact of HIV on those members of the prisoner population at high risk and the communities they return to once paroled. Similar to the California legislation AB 1334 (Swanson) that addresses HIV prevalence in state facilities, HR 178 would allow community organizations to distribute condoms, offer counseling and provide information on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases in federal correctional facilities. Additionally it would require an annual survey of all federal, state and territorial penal systems to determine what policies were in place regarding testing for STIs, education, counseling, health referrals and treatment prior to re-entry. The information gleaned from the survey would be used to develop a five year strategic plan to reduce HIV and STIs tranmission in all correctional facilities by requiring an expansion of prevention, education, counseling, testing and treatment. Referrals to health services in the community at large would be in place with monitoring and evaluation mechanisms geared toward reducing HIV infections over a five year period.

The US Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the percentage of confirmed AIDS cases in state and federal prisons (0.51%) in 2003 was three times the rate found in the general population (0.15%) No precise count of prisoners with HIV is available, as brief lengths of incarceration, limited access to health care, and a lack of uniform screening procedures hinder efforts to identify, diagnose, and monitor those at high risk for HIV contagion. The higher numbers of confirmed HIV cases among U.S. prison inmates parallels the higher percentage of IV drug users in the penal system and the disproportionate percentage of AIDS infections in communities of color.

The US Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the percentage of confirmed AIDS cases in state and federal prisons (0.51%) in 2003 was three times the rate found in the general population (0.15%) No precise count of prisoners with HIV is available, as brief lengths of incarceration, limited access to health care, and a lack of uniform screening procedures hinder efforts to identify, diagnose, and monitor those at high risk for HIV contagion. The higher numbers of confirmed HIV cases among U.S. prison inmates parallels the higher percentage of IV drug users in the penal system and the disproportionate percentage of AIDS infections in communities of color.

Below you will find a letter in support of HR 178 that you can sign on to and submit to congressional representatives encouraging them to vote for the JUSTICE Act and the effort toward reducing HIV infections. You may also add a note if you're so inclined as to your personal stake in this issue whether you or a family member has ever been or is currently one of the incarcerated who will benefit from this bill.

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