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Oppose Mandatory HIV Testing in Prison
House Bill 255 in Illinois House Today or Tomorrow!

Please contact your representative in the Illinois House and urge him/her to oppose House Bill 255 when it is called for a final vote as early as today! House Bill 255 mandates HIV testing for all inmates in Illinois, without their consent, upon admission and prior to release from a facility. Forced testing like that required in House Bill 255 is opposed by public health and corrections experts as unsound, ineffective public policy. The National Commission on Correctional Health Care, composed of more than thirty (30) national organizations interested in health, law and corrections, recommends voluntary testing rather than forced testing. The Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois Public Health Association, the Chicago Department of Public Health and other experts in the field oppose House Bill 255.

Facts about mandatory testing appear below.

Please contact your state representative by calling the Capitol switchboard at (217) 782-2000 and ask to be connected to his/her office. Urge your state representative to oppose House Bill 255 when it is considered in the full House. If you are unsure, you can find out who your state representative is at http://www.elections.state.il.us/DLS/Pages/DLSAddressCrit.asp.

FACTS ABOUT MANDATORY HIV TESTING

• Mandatory testing will not prevent the spread of HIV, which is spread by unprotected sexual contact and needle sharing.
  
  


• Mandatory testing will put HIV-positive inmates at risk for violence and discrimination. Forced testing programs will be unlikely to protect the confidentiality of inmates' medical information. HIV-positive inmates risk harassment and violence from correctional staff and other inmates who learn of their status.
  
  


• Mandatory testing will not address the real cause of HIV transmission in prisons-unprotected sexual contact and needle sharing. The state should expand HIV prevention campaigns in prisons, educate inmates about the benefits of knowing their HIV status, offer voluntary testing, and protect inmates from rape and sexual assault.
  
  


• Mandatory testing will discourage HIV-positive inmates from seeking HIV-related healthcare and other vital services they need upon release from prison. Because of HIV/AIDS fear and stigma, individuals forced into testing may avoid HIV-related services and fail to adopt low-risk behaviors.
  
  


• Testing strategies should empower individuals to make the right choices for themselves, their family members, and their community. The vast majority of inmates will return to their communities after a period of incarceration. Testing by itself will do nothing to slow the spread of HIV; individuals must be willing to seek and adhere to healthcare and reduce high-risk behaviors.
  
  


• Mandatory testing of inmates has been consistently opposed by public health and corrections experts.