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Highlights from 20 Years of Surveying Crime Victims: NCVS 73-92

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