Baltimore jails reportedly denied medication for HIV+ prisoners
The American Civil Liberties Unions say prisoners in Baltimore being denied antiretroviral drugs.
Among the claims about poor prison conditions, they say one prisoner was denied the critical medication shortly before he died.
Another was left without medication for five days, according to Think Progress, and told the medication was not available.
Prisoners with other medical issues were also denied treatment, with defective and unsanitary medical equipment being provided in some cases.
They are also forced to live with mould, vermin and without washing facilities, exposing prisoners with HIV, who may have immunodeficiencies, to disease and infection.
Public Justice Center legal director Debra Gardner said in a statement: “Over and over again, detainees in need of medical attention and treatment for infections, injuries, psychiatric conditions, and other urgent health concerns wait for days and weeks, their suffering prolonged to the point of cruelty.
“These conditions are unconscionable for those in the jail but also create public health concerns. We refuse to give up on the thousands held in Baltimore’s only jail and the communities to which they return.”
The ACLU’s Elizabeth Alexander said: “Broken toilets may not be fixed for weeks. Showers are often pest-infested and have black mold. Eating, sleeping, and living in these conditions — particularly when health care is scant — is an extra and unconstitutional punishment for detainees.”
