Number of AIDS Cases, AIDS-Related Deaths in State, Federal Prisons Down in 2000 From Earlier Years
The number of confirmed AIDS cases and AIDS-related deaths in state and federal prisons in the United States as of Dec. 31, 2000, the most recent year for which figures are available, were down from prior years, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that as of the end of 2000, 2.2% of state prison inmates and 0.8% of federal inmates were known to be HIV-positive. The percentage of deaths due to AIDS-related illnesses in state prisons dropped from 32% in 1995 to 6% in 2000. The Virginia Department of Corrections in 2000 found that 550 inmates in Virginia, or just under 2% of the prison population, were HIV-positive; the national average for 2000 was 2% of inmates, which is about four times higher than the rate among the general U.S. population. A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Corrections said that as of April 2003, 420 inmates in the state were known to be HIV-positive (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 9/2).
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