Dear Correctional Colleagues,

There are few more controversial issues in correctional health than the distribution of condoms in prisons and jails. The arguments on both sides are well known and have been described in the pages of IDCR in the past. But, while condoms remain unavailable to most of those who are incarcerated, there are a few facilities where they can be found. In Mississippi and Vermont state prisoners are provided condoms, and they are also made available in several jails in parts of the country. These condom distribution programs have continued quietly, with many in our field unaware of their existence.

In California, that condoms are distributed to some jailed inmates is now no secret. A recent veto of a bill to make condoms available to prisoners by that state’s governor and his subsequent directive to study the feasibility of condoms in correctional settings placed the issue squarely in the spotlight. Not a state to shy from social experimentation, California has actually had condom programs in place in certain jails for years. The experience of these facilities provides valuable lessons that can inform future HIV/STD prevention policies in our nation’s correctional facilities.

In this issue Mary Sylla, JD, MPH, Director of Policy & Advocacy Center for Health Justice in California provides a brief overview of the potential merits and disadvantages of the provision of condoms in jails and prisons and describes two jail-based condom programs in her state. Her report is balanced and informative and makes clear that in these facilities condoms have not been found to be dangerous but they were no prevention panacea as inmates often did not use them – hardly a surprise to anyone trying to get people in the free world to adopt condoms as part of safer sex.

Also in this issue Leah Holmes from Rhode Island provides an update on Project Bridge, an innovative program of case management that spans the periods before and after release. Accompanying her report is a description of a study of a similar program we have launched in North Carolina. These programs are both successful and serve as important examples of the value of continuity of care in the reintegration of the HIV-infected into their communities.

Your thoughts regarding what you read in IDCR are important to us. Email your comments to me at wohl@med.unc.edu. Please indicate if you would like to have your comment posted on our letters to the editor section of the IDCR website.

Back to Top