The Mandatory Testing of HIV in Prisons (Essay Sample)

MANDATORY HIV TESTING IN PRISONS
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MANDATORY HIV TESTING IN PRISONS
The majority of American prisons carry out voluntary or mandatory HIV testing depending on prevailing circumstances. The HIV test is performed upon entry of the prisoners, and at the time they leave prison. Other prisons in the United States of America carry out HIV tests at any time upon a prisoner's request as much as some of the prisons carry out a mandatory test upon admission into the correction centers (Pope, 2009). However much HIV testing is mandatory in most prisons in the United States of America and other countries such as Australia, Burchell et al. (2003) confirms that such tests are not practiced in Canada and are not on Canadian policies. The test of HIV is very important to let an individual whether prisoner or free be aware of the person's health status but it should not be done coercively, but measures should be laid down to convince prisoners to see the need as to why it is important for them to be aware of their HIV status.
Mandatory HIV testing is carried out without seeking the consent of the person to be tested. The test is carried out by force but not by choice of an inmate in correctional centers. The laws to HIV testing are unique from one state to another. Mandatory HIV testing was instituted by most states to find out the inmates who are infected with the virus upon admission into correction centers so that medications and counseling can be carried out on them throughout their stay in prison. According to Pope (2009), explains that HIV-infected inmates in most states of the United States of America and other countries get an opportunity to receive treatment and counseling services from the facility that the inmate is found. The major challenge happens when an inmate is released while already infected by the virus. For the reason of possible viral infection while in prison, all prisoners in most states must be tested for the HIV before they get released from the correctional facilities so that proper care can be delegated to nearest health care centers to the freed prisoners (Pope, 2009). For the awareness reasons and supposed care of the victims of HIV infections, Burchell et al. (2003) elaborate it as the main reason mandatory testing was established and regarded as lawful in most countries of the world.
Mandatory HIV testing is opposed to voluntary testing in that voluntary testing is the only policy that applies to the rest of citizens in the community of the countries which have implemented mandatory testing for prisoners. However much the counseling and testing are a necessity in correctional centers, the testing should not be mandatory but voluntary. Public health officers should engage prisoners in correction centers by offering extensive education on HIV/AIDS awareness so that prisoners can understand what causes the infection, its symptoms and how the disease can be managed or prevented. The education offered to them on the importance of knowing their status can compel them to be tested voluntarily rather than using force (Weinstein and Greenspan, 2003). Free and independent anonymous HIV tests with post and pretest counseling are enough to convince prisoners to see the need of taking a test before getting into a correction center and upon their release. Mandatory HIV test according to Weinstein and Greenspan (2003) does not have a place in a decent and rational health effort in correction facilities. Prisoners like free people have their right to privacy and freedom of choice which must be respected. Forcing them to carry out an HIV test is barbaric regardless of the benefits such as free treatment and counseling which they get in case of testing positive. The testing should be carried out voluntarily just as it is done with the free people in the community in which mandatory testing is not a policy.
Therefore, the test of HIV is very important