New Article: Einat et al, Abuse of Israeli and Palestinian Prisoners’ Human and Medical Rights

Einat, Tomer, Ofer Parchev, Anat Litvin, Niv Michaeli, and Gila Zelikovitz. “Who Knows Who Cares for Me. C’est La Vie: Abuse of Israeli and Palestinian Prisoners’ Human and Medical Rights—A Foucaultian Perspective.” Prison Journal (early view; online first).

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0032885515596524

 

Abstract

One fundamental measure of a liberal democracy concerns its guarantee of civil and health liberties to prisoners. The study examines the Israeli legislation regarding prisoners’ human rights and access to health services, and analyzes the reasons for the gap between the regulations and their de facto implementation. The main findings include the following: (a) A significant gap exists between the Israeli Prison Service formal regulations for prisoners’ civil and health rights and their actual implementation, and (b) the Israeli Prison Service and the Israeli legislation lack a pragmatic instrument aimed at the protection and preservation of Israeli inmates’ fundamental human rights.

New Article: Mor et al, HIV/AIDS Prevalence in Israeli Prisons: Is There a Need for Universal Screening?

Mor, Zohar, Jonathan R. Eisenberg, Itamar Grotto, and Dini Tishler-Aurkin. “HIV/AIDS Prevalence in Israeli Prisons: Is There a Need for Universal Screening?” Journal of Public Health Policy (early view; online first).

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2015.21

 

Abstract

This study aimed to assess HIV/AIDS point-prevalence among inmates and evaluate costs related to universal screening as currently practiced and appraise its necessity. All inmates newly incarcerated in Israel (2003–2010) underwent HIV tests and their medical files were cross-matched the with the national HIV/AIDS registry to who had been newly infected and detected on prison entry. They were classified by key risk-groups. Of 108 866 new inmates during the period, 215 (0.2 per cent) were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, 44 of those (0.04 per cent) were not aware of their infection. A large majority (94.2 per cent) of the infected inmates were members of a key-risk group: drug-users, homosexuals, or originating from a high-HIV prevalence country. The direct cost of detecting a single HIV-infected inmate who was not previously recorded was €12386. The HIV/AIDS-screening process can be improved by interviewing the new inmates and performing targeted HIV-testing for those who are members of a known risk-group. These data from Israel are pertinent to developed countries with low HIV prevalence, because they present a picture of all newly infected inmates over an 8-year period within the paradigm of a fully functional HIV surveillance system.