Legislation Would Permit Condoms in Federal Prisons
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) on Saturday announced legislation that would make condoms available to inmates of federal prisons, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The rate of AIDS cases among inmates is three-times the rate of the general population, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The bill would call for prisons to permit community organizations to provide counseling, testing and treatment services for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is reviewing a bill (AB 1677) by Assembly member Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) that would legalize condom distribution in California prisons. San Francisco already permits condoms in its jails.
Lee announced the legislation at a community meeting in Oakland (Heredia, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/17).