March 23, 2011

Virginia Prisoners to Get Voluntary HIV Testing Before Release

Prisoners in Virginia will be offered HIV testing within 60 days of being released from a correctional facility, the Virginia Gazette reports. This is the result of two bills passed by this year’s General Assembly requiring the Virginia Department to offer HIV screenings to inmates. Testing before release allows inmates to know their status, which lowers the risk of transmission and provides better linkage to HIV care and services upon release. Currently, the Department of Corrections only tests an inmate for HIV at his or her request and if there is a clinical indication of HIV.

To read the Gazette article, click here.

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