A federal judge has ruled in a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all prisoners with HIV in Alabama that the state department of corrections discriminates against the prisoners by housing them separately and denying them equal access to rehabilitative programs, according to a statement by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed the suit. The judge ruled that segregating HIV-positive prisoners violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which covers people living with the virus. The court decision also bans the state policy of requiring male prisoners with HIV to always wear white armbands to tell others they are living with the virus. After Alabama implements the court order, South Carolina will be the only state to segregate prisoners with HIV.

To read the statement, click here.