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)