AIDS, behavior questioned in Louisiana’s prisons, jails

Correctional facilities have been battling with the spread of the AIDS epidemic since the virus was first discovered in the United States in 1981.
According to Clay Williams, mental health director at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, contrary to popular opinion, AIDS is not as prevalent in prison.
“Sex is a rarity in prison,” Williams said. “The chances of someone contracting AIDS in prison are very slim. There are more inmates who enter prison with AIDS than (those) who catch it in prison.”
Williams said of the 5,108 inmates at Angola, only 1.8 percent of them are HIV positive.
“There are only rumors about a high number of inmates who are released from prison with AIDS,” Williams said.
Williams said although there is no mandatory AIDS or HIV testing in prison, inmates are tested if they display sexually aggressive behavior or they can be tested voluntarily.
If an inmate does test positive, they are referred to the medical clinic for treatment.
“The treatment in prison may be better than the treatment in the community because the prisoners are closely monitored and receive treatment regularly,” Williams said. “There is no segregation to those prisoners who test positive. The only way an inmate will be isolated is if they pose a threat to anyone by displaying high-risk behavior.”
He also said condoms are not allowed to be distributed in prison because homosexuality is not a permissible behavior.
Darryl Campbell, executive managing officer at Hunt Correctional Facility in St. Gabriel, said the institution has similar policies when it comes to managing disorderly sexual behavior.
“There are rules against sexual activities for individuals who are incarcerated,” Campbell said. “When we receive a new inmate, they go through an orientation process and receive a copy of the rulebook educating them on the danger of sex and the spreading of diseases.
“If by any chance an inmate feels he have contracted AIDS, or any other disease, they will be tested upon their request, but there are no mandatory testing in our facility,” he said.
Campbell said the only testing an inmate will receive would be upon early release for good behavior or parole.
“Under the circumstance that an inmate does test positive, he will receive treatment at Earl K. Long Hospital and then thereafter, treated like all other inmates in the general population,” Campbell said.
Randell Mark, an inmate of five years at Orleans Parish Prison, one of the country’s largest jails, disagrees with Williams’ opinion about sex among inmates.
“Sex and rape are very common in prison,” Mark said. “Security is very aware about what is going on, but they have the attitude that as long as they are not being bothered it’s ‘all good.’ ”
Mark said homosexuality is very common in the parish prison, just as it is in all other facilities.
“If you’re a homosexual you are taken out of the general population and placed on the ‘gay side’, ” Mark said.
“We were tested every year for HIV (and) AIDS and if you were positive, like a lot of inmates were, you were kept in the general population and received treatment regularly,” Mark said.