On September 25, the Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2007 (H.R. 1943), passed the House by voice vote. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill on July 25 (see The Source, 7/27/07).
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), the bill’s sponsor, said, “We need to take the threat of HIV/AIDS seriously and confront it in every institution of our society. That includes our nation’s prison system, and that is why this bill is so important.” Rep. Waters continued, “You would think after 25 years and all of the education that we have tried to do, [and] all the literature that has been written, that everyone would know everything that they need to know about HIV and AIDS. But it is not true. And one of the things that we had to consider was why…there was an increase in HIV and AIDS with women, particularly minority women. And then we had to take a look at where it may be coming from. And though we don’t have empirical data, we do think we are on the right track in helping to stem this tide because we do think that some of these infections are coming from those who may have been incarcerated.”
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) said, “The occurrence of HIV and AIDS cases in federal prison is at least three times higher than it is among the United States population as a whole…Requiring federal inmates to be tested when they enter prison and when they leave prison is just good common sense. For some prisoners tested when they enter prison, such testing will ensure that they receive adequate treatments, education, and prevention services while incarcerated. Similarly, it is important that prisoners are tested shortly before they are released into the community so that adequate services can be provided after their release. That, in turn, will protect the community. I believe in tough punishment for criminal offenders because the public deserves to be protected. But we have a duty to treat prisoners humanely and to rehabilitate them. Preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS among prisoners is an essential aspect of humane treatment and rehabilitation.”
