Rates of HIV Skyrocket in Indonesian Prisons

Intravenous drug
use and overcrowding are causing the incidence of
HIV/AIDS to explode in Indonesian prisons, reports Agence
France-Presse.

According to the
Indonesian National AIDS Commission head Nafsiah Mboi,
about 27,000 of the 136,000 inmates in Indonesian prisons
are drug users. "There should be a separation between
people who have been convicted of drug-related crimes
and other types of crime," she said.

Overcrowding is
compounding the issue, Christian Kroll of the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime added. "The capacity [of
Indonesian jails] is only for 70,000 inmates. The
individuals who have been convicted of drug-related
crimes should be treated as people who need therapy
instead of criminals. Judges and prosecutors should be given
further education while the number of treatment facilities
should be increased," he said.

Indonesia has the
fastest-growing HIV/AIDS infection rate in Southeast
Asia, according to the United Nations. (The
Advocate)