U.S. Could (Finally) Legalize Condoms in Prisons and Jails

The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update Blog provides current and consistent useful information. This post by Julie Turkewitz is just one example of their work. Her posts are always well written, researched, and clearly focused. This one yesterday highlights a primary issue in the US that policy has avoided dealing with for years. Julie quotes statistics like "While an astounding 25 percent of the HIV-positive population passes through U.S. correctional facilities each year, just one percent of prisons and jails can legally distribute condoms". At Total Access Group we are happy to see action taken to make condoms available anywhere they have impact on reducing infection rates. Prisons look like an obvious to us. To get the full story read the full article.

The following is an excerpt from and provides links to:

U.S. Could (Finally) Legalize Condoms in Prisons and Jails

Posted by Julie Turkewitz , September 08, 2011

Incarcerated individuals may finally get access to a lifesaver: condoms.

A new bill would reverse the draconian policy of forbidding the distribution of condoms in federal correctional facilities, putting the U.S. in line with most European countries.
The legislation, called the Justice Act, was introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) in August, and could help address a seemingly intractable problem: the spread of HIV during and after incarceration. “We can no longer afford to ignore the reality that sexually transmitted infections can be spread within our correctional system,” said Lee. Read the full article....