INMATE'S LAWSUIT COULD CHANGE PRISONS' NEEDLE POLICY: LAWYER

TORONTO - A lawsuit alleging a former Collins Bay penitentiary inmate
contracted the AIDS virus after being denied clean needles in jail
could change the way prisoners with the deadly virus are treated, a
lawyer said Monday.

Darrell Kloeze said he is hopeful the case of Jason Pothier, who is
suing the federal government and its agencies for $25 million, will
ultimately make it easier for prisoners to get methadone and clean
needles, and will ensure inmates infected with AIDS receive their
medication.

"We're looking not only for redress for Mr. Pothier's damages, but
for more federal policy in jails for people with HIV and AIDS."

The statement of claim, filed last week, states that Pothier, an
admitted heroin user, was denied clean needles and methadone. The
lawsuit alleges that Pothier subsequently contracted HIV, the virus
that causes AIDS, as well as hepatitis C.

Pothier also alleges in his lawsuit that he has not always received
the drugs required for his treatment.

"There seems to be a gap between what physicians prescribe and what
prisoners get," said Kloeze, a lawyer at the Ontario HIV and AIDS
Legal Clinic.

Injecting Heroin

Pothier was infected with hepatitis C between September 1997 and
March of the following year while he was an inmate at Collins Bay and
began injecting heroin, the statement of claim states.

He was infected with HIV the following year, while a prisoner at
Warkworth Penitentiary in Campbellford, the lawsuit says.

Pothier, who was transferred to Kingston Penitentiary in January
2001, allegedly asked to be put on a methadone treatment program to
help fight his addiction and to reduce his risk of hepatitis C and
HIV infection.