| In conclusion, we offer some ideas about how to reduce HIV infection in US prisons and consequent infecion among American blacks in the general population |
| An article on “The New Face of AIDS” in Newsweek, December 6, 2004 caught our attention. The authors were Geoffrey Cowley, Andrew Murr, Anne Underwood, and Karen Springen. The article was, in part, about the rise in HIV infections among black women in the U.S. It said, “most of these women and girls are infected through ordinary heterosexual relationships.” And, “...prisons are a big part of the story...where high-risk anal sex is common and sometimes forced.” The fact that anal intercourse is characteristic of lower simian species, but usually not of humans, might be useful in combating that problem. I know of no African or African-American male who likes being referred to as a monkey. So, from a respected black speaker, the statement that anal intercourse is characteristic of simians, but not humans, might have a deterrent effect. And could it not be argued that subjecting prisoners to a high risk for FORCED anal intercourse constitutes "cruel and inhuman punishment"--and is therefore unconstitutional? In cases where a male inmate contracts AIDS as the result of forced anal sex, we think it may be possible to identify the assailant by comparing the HIV of that male who has become HIV positive with the DNA of an accused assailant. The reasoning for this has been developed above--that the gp120 molecule from HIV may be derived from an MHC class II molecule. Such molecules are highly polymorphic and that could provide the basis for DNA identification of a prison assailant. The victim would have had to be HIV-negative on entering prison for the testing to work. An assailant identified in that manner could then be charged with an additional crime and receive extra jail time--perhaps with reduced access to other inmates. Roche Diagnostics makes equipment for identifying various strains of HIV and might benefit commercially if such testing procedures were developed. I can't give an absolute guarantee that this would work, but the experiments that would be necessary to rule it in or out are clear and not overly costly. It's something that should be tried, therefore, for reasons of humanity and justice. And there are practical reasons as well: the treatment a prisoner receives while in jail may influence--for better or worse--his mentality after he gets out. So we've been talking with Roche and others about this. And, as a final point, we'd suggest yoga classes in prisons as an inexpensive way to reduce both violent behavior and sexual tension. As former President Gerald Ford once noted, the punishment of prison should be loss of liberty, rather than anything else inflicted. (End of article) We invite criticism of the above material from any reader. First page of this article HOME |
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