The impact of imprisonment on HIV/AIDS positive inmates in Uganda : A case of Kigo prison

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of imprisonment on HIV/AIDS inmates in Uganda prisons, a case of Kigo prison; it presents the challenges faced by HIV/AIDS positive inmates in prisons, the institutional measures put in place to address the challenges faced by HIV/AIDS positive inmates, the ways how HIV/AIDS positive inmates cope up with the environment in prisons and finally the appropriate recommendations to improve on the well-being of HIV/AIDS positive inmates in prisons. A qualitative approach was selected as a research method for this study through the use of interview guides; the focus group discussion guide and the observation check list; to recruit the study participants, sampling techniques such as snow ball and purposive sampling were employed. The research findings indicate that HIV positive inmates experience a number of challenges such as stigma, poor diet in prison, negative body reaction from the drugs, discrimination and isolation from normal inmates, limited medical services among others. However the prison administration changes diet for the positive inmates, give much more food than other inmates, allowing them to have sweaters to reduce the challenges faced and more so positive inmates themselves adopt coping strategies such as washing for others, cooking for other inmates asking their relatives to bring for them food to survive in the prison conditions.