The HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Prisons

When a person is sentenced to jail, the society is less likely to care about what is going on behind bars. In the mind of the public, the imprisoned seem to lose identity and life. Too often people forget that there is a life behind bars which is a life in another community with different rules and spatial limits. According to individual human rights standards, a prisoner does not cease to be a human being who is entitled to be treated humanely, with dignity and respect as he or she deserves. Although this problem is rife in almost all countries, this paper will focus generally on HIV/AIDS pandemic in prisons generally and will also embrace the United Kingdom (UK) imprisonment scenario and how it relate to the South African situation. The Constitution of South Africa and the Human Rights Act 1998 in the UK and some of the limitations of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) will be explored. Both prison systems have a high number of prisoners who have drug problems and related issues with communicable diseases. A great deal of research has focused on HIV/AIDS in normal settings however there have been little research directed on this issue in prison settings hence this paper will make a useful additive contribution to knowledge.