This, for me, is like abstinence-only education. Don't give people the tools they need in a given situtation, because you'd rather they not be in that situation in the first place. Jesus.

In other news, the CDC today recommended that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested for HIV during routine medical checkups.

Imagine the uproar if someone suggested that schools shouldn't tell students about suicide prevention hotlines, because killing yourself is wrong.

Pretending a problem doesn't exist simply because it's against the rules doesn't make the problem go away.

I almost try to avoid reading prisoners' rights stories or advocacy, because the penal system in this country is so fucked beyond repair that I have a hard time even knowing what to do with the information.

This is not good.

The general public has known about the epidemic of prison rape for well over twenty years now, but there has never been much of a hue and cry about it -- certainly not from politicians -- and seemingly zero reform on the part of the institutions themselves. It would seem that, for most people at least, rape is considered an inherent aspect of the prison experience, akin to wearing striped jumpsuits and cranking out license plates -- just one of many factors in the punishment equation. I'm guessing that HIV will be viewed in this same light: "If they didn't want AIDS, they shouldn't have been stealing car stereos, now should they?"

I don't think prison rape is the main issue here. This article cites figures for how many prison sex acts are consensual. I think it was over 70%.

The point, to me, is that regardless of the rules or the rationale behind them, it's unrealistic to expect that people put away for 5 or 10 or 40 or 75 years are never going to have sex again.

Breaking rules?

In a prison?

Say it aint so, Joe!