HIV killing prisoners
2004-03-16 20:22
Pretoria - Incarceration halved the life expectancy of HIV-positive people, the Jali commission of inquiry into prison maladministration heard on Tuesday.
This was the result of poor health care and nutrition, stress, violence and high exposure to opportunistic infections like tuberculosis, Aids Law Project (ALP) attorney Yusuf Saloojee told the commission.
"A prisoner with HIV is not expected to survive more than five years in the prison environment," he said.
Saloojee said prison conditions hastened the progress of the disease to full-blown Aids.
The number of natural deaths in prison rose by 647% from 1995 to 2002 - up to 95% of which were likely attributable to Aids. The prison population rose by 52% over the same period.
"The dramatic increase in prison deaths shows that prisoners are particularly and increasingly likely to die from Aids," Saloojee told the commission.
He said the Correctional Services Department has acknowledged that its estimate of a three percent HIV/Aids prevalence rate among prisoners was unrealistically low.
Saloojee quoted a study conducted at the Westville Medium B prison in KwaZulu-Natal in January 2001 - which found that some about 29% of a tested sample group were HIV positive.
The ALP called for prison overcrowding to be addressed by showing more leniency to people convicted of non-violent, poverty-related crimes, suspending or reducing bail granted to people who could not afford it, and making more use of electronic monitoring and non-custodial sentences.
It also proposed the outsourcing of prison food provision, saying this would eliminate corruption and boost nutrition.
The ALP called on the department to update its policy on the early release of prisoners dying of Aids as the application procedure was too time consuming.
One social worker who processed five such applications every week, has had only one prisoner live long enough to go home to die, Saloojee said.
Turning to the spread of the HI Virus in jail, he told the commission the prevalence of sexual assault, consensual male intercourse, and the use of unsterilised needles for tattooing were high risk factors.
Condoms distributed in prisons were not lubricated - heightening the risk of them tearing during anal sex.
An estimated 65% of inmates participated in sexual activity.
The ALP urged the department to make condoms available in more discreet locations, and to supply bleach tablets for prisoners to sterilise tattoo needles before re-using them.
Saloojee said the greatest concern should not be directed at the risk of HIV transmission in prison, but the potential impact of former prisoners with HIV on society after their release.
More than 30 000 people, on average, were released from South African prisons every month.
"During 2002, nearly 400 000 former prisoners returned to the community," he said.
- SAPA