October 5, 2011
The American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama is suing the state Department of Corrections over its policy of segregating HIV-positive inmates. Alabama's HIV-positive male inmates are housed at Limestone Correction Facility, where they are separated from the general population, while HIV-positive females are held in a separate dormitory at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka. The state is asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit. Alabama Prison Commissioner Kim Thomas said the state has no intention of changing the policy. Alabama and South Carolina are the only US states that continue to segregate HIV-positive prisoners.