Prisons for HIV\/AIDS carriers?<\/p>\n
I was shocked to read The Jakarta Post's article on
\nApril 4, 2002 about the increasing number of inmates afflicted by
\nHIV\/AIDS in Jakarta's prisons. The Post quoted health officials
\nas saying that 22 percent of 200 prisoners who took HIV\/AIDS
\ntests at Salemba Penitentiary in Central Jakarta tested positive.
\nThese figures are indeed appalling if the report is accurate.<\/p>\n
This raises the suspicion that the same thing has also
\nhappened in other prisons. To my understanding, people
\ncontracting the deadly virus are \"finished\", confined to
\nisolation as they could pose a dangerous threat to others.<\/p>\n
The government may not take this issue lightly. If the report
\nis correct, it should take immediate steps to safeguard other
\ninmates and secure their future. Prisoners are sent to jail to
\nabsolve their \"sins\", not to end their lives.<\/p>\n
The first step that should be taken is to test all inmates to
\nsee how large the number of carriers in prisons are. Those who
\ntest positive should then be confined to separate jails. Where
\npossible, a special prison for the infected should be
\nestablished. Of course, this is expensive because each test costs
\nRp 85,000, which amounts to about Rp 180 million for all 2,106
\ninmates.<\/p>\n
This is a huge amount of money but do we want to see inmates
\ndie prematurely? I think nobody would want to see members of
\ntheir family end their lives in jail.<\/p>\n
ANDI ABDUSSALAM<\/p>\n
Tangerang, Banten<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/prisons-for-hivaids-carriers-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }