Prison survey reveals risks of HIV.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

A survey in Oregon prisons estimates that 6.2 percent of male inmates and 4.7 percent of female inmates were sexually active last year, and that 2,000 others used intravenous drugs or received tatoos or body piercings - all at the risk of spreading HIV and other diseases because bleach to clean needles and condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases are not allowed among inmates.

HIV prevention advocates say the survey reveals a major public health risk because 95 percent of the state's 12,500 male and 4,900 female inmates return to their communities and pose the potential to spread diseases.

Prison officials are vowing to clamp down on sexual assaults, estimated at 175 in the past year, and to consider new prison policies that might discourage high-risk behavior among inmates.

But HIV prevention advocates say that's not enough.

Thomas Bruner, executive director of the Cascades AIDS Project, which requested the survey, said the group will continue to push for condoms and bleach inside prisons. He said some Canadian prison policies allow inmates access to condoms and bleach to clean tattooing equipment, while Oregon prison officials consider such materials to be safety risks.

Although the Oregon survey shows prison inmates are substantially less sexually active and less likely to be victims of rape than the national average, Bruner said the survey probably under-reports the issue. Other surveys estimate up to 13 percent of prison inmates have been sexually assaulted, which would make Oregon inmates 1,230 percent less at risk of rape, he said.

"I doubt it," Bruner said. "We need the corrections department to figure out a strategy for preventing HIV."

The survey selected 236 men and 97 women in 11 state prisons to determine the rate of high-risk behavior.

Prison officials have always known inmates bring communicable diseases with them into prison, but did not know the extent of the problem behind bars, said Max Williams, director of the Oregon Department of Corrections.

"We recognize the role prisons potentially have in the spread of contagious diseases. We needed first to determine the extent of the problem in our own state, rather than relying on national statistics," Williams said. "The safety of the public, our staff and inmates are of primary importance to us, and that includes public health."

As a result of the survey, prison officials will work with public health experts to review prison policies to find new ways to discourage tattooing, body piercing, IV drug use and consensual sex.

A special emphasis will be placed on reinforcing the zero-tolerance policy for sexual assaults, Williams said.

"Any rape is one rape too many," he said.

The new sexual assault policy will safeguard the confidentiality and safety of inmates who report sexual assaults and will set up new procedures to protect potential rape victims. Access to medical and mental health care for rape victims will be simplified and long-term care, testing and treatment for HIV will be provided, Williams said.

"The survey showed us the beginning, not the end, of the conversation," Williams said.

The survey is the first of its kind in Oregon prisons since the HIV outbreak three decades ago and shows that prison officials are waking up to the issue, Bruner said. He said the Cascade AIDS Project intends to monitor the new policies.

"Our agenda is prevention. These are very hot-button issues," Bruner said. "We will have a seat at the table, whether it's an invited seat or not."

HEALTH RISKS:

The Department of Corrections surveyed inmates on behavior that spreads of HIV and other diseases. The numbers are estimates for the past year and apply to 12,500 male and 4,900 female inmates. All listed activities are forbidden by prison policy.

Getting tattooed: Male inmates, 7.3 percent; females, 4.1 percent. Sexual activity: Male inmates, 6.2 percent; females, 4.7 percent. Body piercing: Male inmates, 3.25 percent; females, 3.25 percent. Intravenous drug use: Male inmates, 2.5 percent; females, 1.1 percent.

- Oregon Department of Corrections