NYS CoRR Platform

Prison Health Services

Issue Summary

Prisons can be institutions with unhealthy environments that affect society. There is an enormous disparity in the incidence of communicable diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis among inmates and outside communities. This is blamed on individual behaviors; however, the prison environment and the quality of care can be the factors fostering the problem.

The health problem in many prisons can ultimately affect the health of the community, as most incarcerated individuals are eventually released. 

There are persistent reports, over many years, of a vital need for further improvements in New York State prison health care.

Coalition Position

• Give the responsibility of oversight of local and state correctional facility hospitals to the NYS Department of Health, so as to ensure a uniform and adequate standard of care for incarcerated persons.
   
• Direct the NYS Department of Health to review every formalized policy or practice instituted in facilities operated by DOCS and local jails regarding HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis C.
   
• Allow earlier release consideration for the elderly and the seriously ill.
   

Rationale

The potential seriousness of the problem, and the need for careful oversight, are indicted in the following excerpts from  “The Prison Environment and its Effect on Society”, by Cheryl L. Kates, Esq., May 14, 2006:

   - The HIV/AIDS rate is six times higher in state and federal prisons than it is in the general population. ¹

   - In New York State, 10,000 inmates are infected with the HIV virus.²

   - Twenty-five percent of all U.S. inmates infected with AIDS were incarcerated in New York State.¹

   - In 1999, active tuberculosis was detected in 12,000 U.S. inmates, which accounted for 35% of the total cases, and was

        50 times that of non-incarcerated individuals. ³ 

   - In New York State, during the years 1976-86, the increase in the prevalence of inmate tuberculosis was six-fold. At this

        time 50% of the inmates who were infected with tuberculosis were also infected with HIV.¹

   - Hepatitis infection is 9-10 times higher in the prison population than that of the general public. ⁴

   - In New York State, it is estimated that 10,000 inmates are infected with Hepatitis C. ⁵

 

---

1.  http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/InSite?page=kb-07&doc=kb-07-04-13  “HIV transmission and prevention in prisons,” HIV Insite., U. CA, SF. Feb. 03
        
2.  CDC, “Decrease in AIDS related mortality in a state correctional system. NY, '95-'98, MMWR  Weekly 47(51) p. 1115-1117, Jan 18,1999.
 

3.  CDC, “Morbidity among U.S. born and foreign born  populations,”  U.S. MMWR 51 (05), 2002.
 

4.  Davis, Lois, et al, “Prisoner Reentry,” RAND Research Brief, Santa Monica, CA. 2003.
 

5.  Prison Committee of ACTUP of NY, “No Time to Lose,  HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C in NYS Prisons Study,” 
     www.actupny.org/reports/prisons.html  2006.

 

A summary of all 12 planks can be found at Summary

Please indicate your support of this platform by signing the Petition

Help in sending an email to NYS legislators supporting this plank is at Support.