5 December 2008 - UNODC, WHO and UNAIDS are today launching a toolkit on HIV and AIDS in places of detention. This toolkit is designed to assist countries to mount an effective national response to HIV in prisons and to improve and, if necessary, reform their prison systems.
The launch is taking place at the 15th International Conference on AIDS and sexually transmittable diseases in Africa (ICASA) which is taking place in Dakar, Senegal. This conference is Africa's leading forum for discussion of HIV developments and trends. During ICASA, UNODC is organizing a symposium on HIV/AIDS for participants on prevention, care, treatment and support in prison settings.
The toolkit provides information and guidance to people who work in and with prisons and prisoners. More specifically, it offers practical guidance on what measures countries need to take in the short term to prevent the spread of HIV (and other infections) among prisoners, and how they can provide them with treatment, care and support. It also discusses necessary medium- and long-term reforms to facilitate such measures.
While the toolkit is written primarily for use in low- and middle-income countries, it will also be a useful resource for individuals and institutions in high-income countries. Its focus is on HIV, but it recognizes that other diseases-in particular hepatitis and tuberculosis-are linked to HIV and also represent serious problems in prisons.
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Read the report (pdf)
More information on the ICASA session on HIV in prison settings, organized by UNODC (from the UNAIDS website)
More information about a recent UNODC publication on HIV among women in prisons.
