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San Francisco's jail houses the only condom machine inside a detention facility in California, through a program started in 1989 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2001, Los Angeles County became the second county to provide a condom distribution program behind bars. Since then, no other county in the state has followed suit. According to health officials, the HIV rate among incarcerated persons is almost seven times higher than among the general population. San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey said he believes those charged with operating jails have an obligation to educate inmates about the disease, and distributing condoms is an effective way of doing so. However, the idea remains controversial.
Cpt. Dan Pena of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, who oversees seven jails and nearly 5,200 inmates, said his department has no plans to give inmates access to condoms. "Primarily the reason for that is sexually activity in jails or prisons is illegal; it's actually a felony," he said. "And because of that, we would not want to send a mixed message to the inmate population that knowing this is a crime, here's a condom."
Until there is evidence that condom distribution reduces HIV rates in jails, San Diego County will continue its approach of providing HIV education and strict supervision of inmates, said Pena.
San Francisco County officials say evaluation of their program has found it did not increase sexual activity; there were no reports of smuggling using condoms; and inmates reported less high-risk activity.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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