Wake Up Mr. Mar

Unsafe, and in many cases, unwanted sex plus conjungal visits and the attitude of self proclaimed experts like you, are at the root of the problem not tatoos needles. Prisoners have been giving themselves tatoos for decades and decades using whatever implements they could get their hands on and it is only since prisoners were given "rights" have you seen HIV/Aids become more prevelent.

Closing prison tattoo parlours can only cause infectious diseases to spread beyond jails, warns Leon Mar

Dec. 1, 2006. 01:00 AM

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day is facing a crucial and controversial decision on prison tattoo parlours that could reduce the rate of infectious diseases (like HIV and hepatitis C) not only among prisoners, but among the public at large. Evidence and experts suggest his choice is clear: Safer tattooing programs save money and lives and should be implemented in all prisons in Canada.

But political decisions are rarely based on evidence alone.

Will this majority-seeking minority government let ideology get in the way? And will voters, who often do not see the link between prisoners' health and public health, let it happen?

In almost every country, HIV is more prevalent among prisoners than in the general population. In Canada, it's no different: People in prison are 30 times more likely to be infected with hepatitis C (HCV) and seven to 10 times more likely to be infected with HIV than people on the outside.

The lack of sterile tattooing equipment is partly to blame.

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