Living with HIV in prison can be a death sentence if one is incarcerated in prisons in Guyana. This is what a former inmate of the Camp Street jail and a homosexual told the 2011 Caribbean HIV Conference.The man who made a presentation as a man who has sex with men and a commercial sex worker, recounted his plight as an MSM in the Camp Street Prison where he spent almost a decade.Speaking to a packed room at the Atlantis International Resort in the Bahamas,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the MSM said that he has used his experience to ensure that there is a change in the way MSM and prisoners infected with HIV are treated.He said that while a regular prison sentence may be considered a walk in the park for some,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, for a homosexual it is horrific. He detailed stories of sexual abuse by other prisoners,China Jerseys, what he described as torture and manipulation by Prison officers and a complete segregation from other prisoners as part of the treatment meted out to MSMs in prison.“I have been a victim of rape in prison; I was abused by three inmates. You may come to prison and may not know how to get along and that person may know the ropes and take advantage of the situation.“Sometimes they will solicit sex from you and you don’t give in, they rape you.”He listed what he described as discrimination and stigma attached to MSMS and HIV affected prisoners.“The discrimination is two-fold. As an MSM, access to certain services is not available. Other persons can access the dietary section to help prepare meals but not the MSMs. We were not allowed to access library or play games.”He said that he remembers being locked away from meetings that were being held with other prisoners. He told a story where an MSM inflicted cuts on himself because of such discrimination.And redress? “Many times you try to go to the officers to have the issues addressed but it comes back to haunt you.”There is a silver lining in the form of treatment. Such treatment is available in many forms for HIV affected prisoners, he told the Conference. This treatment is available,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, compliments of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat. But there have been complaints that Prison officers often make better use of the items sent for inmates.“Because of the salary scale of the officers, they whisk away some of the vitamins, some of the milk and ration supplements… if you are an HIV-infected person in prison,Discount NFL Jerseys, you run the risk of dying faster because the most important things are taken away.”Accessing treatment can also be very embarrassing, he said. “Everyone knows the prisoners who are HIV positive; there is no confidentiality.”All is not lost,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, the MSM told the Conference. He is working to ensure that MSMS and prisoners affected by HIV are treated differently.As a trained counselor he said that there have been some changes in the way MSMs and HIV affected prisoners are being treated.“There are rehab programmes, their plight is being addressed and MSMs are being able to access some services within the prison”.He told the Conference that he hopes that the government places the situation in prisons on its agenda to be addressed in its entirety.He pointed to overcrowding, adding that the Camp Street prison built to accommodate 400 now has 1100, which he said is just unacceptable.He said that every time any issue is raised about the prisons it is hushed with the government taking a position that it is not a five star hotel and he believes that should not be a yardstick for not addressing basic human rights of prisoners.