(Washington, DC) District of Columbia Department of Corrections Director Devon Brown reports that the Department of Corrections (DOC) has positioned itself to assume a lead role in the District-wide initiative to increase HIV testing among its adult residents and thereby identify and treat those who have been found carrying the illness.

The District reportedly has one of the highest HIV rates in the country. To address this crisis, the DOC, in partnership with the Department of Health’s (DOH) Administration for HIV Policy and Programs (AHPP), has integrated an automatic HIV testing program into its routine medical intake procedures at the Central Detention Facility (DC Jail), which serves as the District’s primary correctional institution for pretrial detainees and sentenced misdemeanants. Inmates entering the complex are screened for the virus by swabbing around the gums at intake and before they are released to the community, thus helping to determine the prevalence of HIV and to provide appropriate services based on testing results. Prior to implementing the program as a 30-day pilot last month, inmates were screened for HIV on a voluntary basis.

“The HIV testing program at the DC Jail supports Mayor Anthony Williams’ emphasis on building safe and healthy neighborhoods and recognizes the role of our correctional system in this effort,” said Corrections Director Devon Brown. “Automatic HIV testing reflects the city’s proactive acknowledgement that identifying and treating those with HIV is not only a public health issue; it is a public safety issue,” Director Brown continued. “Many men and women are incarcerated with a host of communicable and contagious illnesses such as tuberculosis, venereal disease, and HIV. If they are unaware that they possess these disorders or the illnesses are not treated before they return to the community, a serious, highly negative, public impact is created. The Department hopes that testing at both the front and back ends of incarceration will reduce the transmission of HIV infection and improve health accountability and responsibility. These measures will ultimately improve the viability of our communities,” Brown concluded.