March 23, 2010

Mississippi to End Segregation of HIV-Positive Prisoners

Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) commissioner Christopher Epps recently agreed to end the state’s policy of segregating HIV-positive prisoners from general prison populations. Epps’s decision came ahead of an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report showing the harmful impact of these segregation policies in three states.

Since 1987, MDOC has performed mandatory HIV tests on prisoners entering the system. Those who tested positive were housed together in a segregated unit of Mississippi State Penitentiary. Prisoners living with HIV faced isolation and exclusion, while low-custody prisoners were forced to serve their sentence in more violent and expensive prisons.

The policy change will allow prisoners with the virus to participate in jobs training programs and other previously denied services. In addition, prisoners will no longer be assigned to a segregated HIV unit.

Epps said he would gradually phase in the new desegregation policy for prisoners living in the HIV unit and will form a committee to make individualized placement decisions for each prisoner.

“Commissioner Epps deserves a tremendous amount of credit for making this courageous decision to replace a policy based on irrational HIV prejudice with a policy based on science, sound correctional practice and respect for human rights,” said Margaret Winter, associate director of the ACLU National Prison Project.

MDOC’s policy change leaves Alabama and South Carolina as the only states that segregate HIV-positive prisoners.

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George E. Thomas, McKinney, 2010-03-25 11:41:49
Sounds like someone is finally getting educated about HIV/AIDS. Not only will this help their budget, butdoes aways with the stigma associatd with having the disease, especially, considering some of these people are probably just having the disease confirmed.

George Maris, Charlottesville VA, 2010-03-24 09:28:37
It's taken this long to realize the impact segregation and isolation has on the effect of an individual Persons already dealing with their diagnoses and then placed in isolation. This has a huge impact on the Spirit of the individual, its proven that self worth and acceptance in the community is healthy, both for body and mind.