Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1989. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - Friday, December 15, 1989
Lori Olszewski, Chronicle Staff Writer
California is one of only six states that automatically isolate prisoners known to be infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, even if they are in the early stages of the disease and without symptoms, according to the National Institute of Justice.
The policy is under challenge in U.S. District Court in Sacramento as part if a broader lawsuit on behalf of inmates at the California Medical Facility at Vacaville alleging that all prisoners are receiving inadequate medical and psychiatric care at the state prison.
The trial on the voluminous lawsuit began September 11, but a proposed agreement filed in the Sacramento court last week could end the lengthy proceeding, which has been delayed for about a month while lawyers tried to reach a settlement.
A hearing on the tentative settlement is scheduled for January 24 in Sacramento. The prisoners affected by the case also have a month to submit written comments about the plan.
"If this is approved, it will save a lot of tax money that would otherwise go to litigation," said California Department of Corrections spokesman Tipton Kindel.
Under the proposed settlement, prison officials agree to set up three pilot projects for HIV-infected prisoners that would allow them more access to prison programs, from jobs to Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
The experimental program outlined in the settlement would be reviewed after five months, and prison officials would then propose new policies for housing and programs for HIV-infected prisoners. The settlement also addresses the larger issue of medical care for all prisoners.
Although the lawsuit involves men only in the Vacaville prison, Kindel said the pilot AIDS projects would also involve men at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo and women in the California Institute for Women in Frontera, where inmates have filed a separate lawsuit against the state.
Kindel said the Department of Corrections will begin the pilot projects -- probably as soon as next month -- whether or not the settlement is approved in the court.
Although more than 200 men infected with HIV have been identified and segregated in California's state prisons, each pilot program would only include 20 to 30 prisoners.
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