50 Percent of Prison Inmate Deaths in Northeast Caused by Aids 28 Percent Caused By Aids Nationwide During 1991 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1993 50 PERCENT OF PRISON INMATE DEATHS IN NORTHEAST CAUSED BY AIDS 28 PERCENT CAUSED BY AIDS NATIONWIDE DURING 1991 More than half of the prison inmate deaths in the nation's Northeastern states during 1991 were caused by the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), according to a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report released today. Nationwide, 28 percent of the 1,863 state prisoners who died in custody died from AIDS--513 men and 15 women. In New Jersey 69 percent of the inmate deaths were AIDS-related deaths, as were 66 percent in New York, 44 percent in Florida, 33 percent in Maryland and 30 percent in North Carolina and Massachusetts, BJS said. In 1991, the latest year for which the data are available, 2.2 percent of the 792,000 men and women in federal and state prisons were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. Of these, 0.6 percent exhibited HIV symptoms, and 0.2 percent had confirmed AIDS. Lawrence A. Greenfeld, Acting Director of BJS, the Department of Justice's statistical agency, said the findings came from the annual reports of local, state and federal correctional authorities and from in-depth interviews with a nationally representative sample of almost 14,000 state prisoners nationwide. "The states reporting the highest percentage of HIV positive inmates were New York (13.8 percent), Connecticut (5.4 percent), Massachusetts (5.3 percent), New Jersey (4 percent), Rhode Island (3.5 percent) and Georgia (3.4 percent)," Greenfeld said. In a nationally representative survey of state prisoners about half the inmates reported that they had been tested for HIV infection and were willing to share the results with the interviewers. Among tested prisoners who said they had never used drugs, 0.8 percent were HIV positive, as were 2.5 percent who said they had used drugs at least once, 4.9 percent who said they had used needles to inject drugs and 7.1 percent who said they had shared needles. About 25 percent of all state prison inmates reported they had used a needle to inject illegal drugs, and about half of them had previously shared a needle with others. An estimated 6.8 percent of Hispanic women were HIV positive, as were 3.5 percent of Hispanic men. Among black inmates, 3.5 percent of the women and 2.5 percent of the men were HIV positive. Among white inmates, 1.9 percent of the women and 1 percent of the men were HIV positive. Inmates 35 to 44 years old had an infection rate of 3.7 percent and were more likely than those in other age groups to be HIV positive. Prisoners sentenced for drug, property or public order offenses (such as gambling or weapons violations) were more likely to be HIV positive than were violent offenders. All the states as well as the District of Columbia and the federal Bureau of Prisons test inmates for the HIV virus either routinely or for specific reasons. Seventeen jurisdictions test all prisoners, at admission, upon release or during custody. Thirty-nine test if asked to do so by the inmate, and 40 test if an inmate exhibits symptoms of HIV infection. Single copies of the special report "HIV in U.S. Prisons and Jails" (NCJ 143292) as well as other BJS statistical bulletins and reports may be obtained from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Box 6000, Rockville, Maryland 20850. The telephone number is (800) 732-3277. Data from the tables and graphs used in many BJS reports can be made available to news organzations in spreadsheet files on 5-1/4" and 3-1/2" diskettes by calling (202) 616-3283. After hours contact: Stu Smith (301) 983-0354. END OF FILE
Date Published: November 21, 1993