Reports the number of female and male prisoners who were HIV positive or AIDS active, the number of AIDS-related deaths in state and federal prisons, a profile of those inmates who died, and a comparison of AIDS rates for the general and prisoner populations. This annual bulletin uses yearend 2004 data from the National Prisoner Statistics and the Deaths in Custody series. Supplemental information from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities is provided in this report, including estimates of HIV infection among prison inmates by age, gender, race, Hispanic origin, education, marital status, current offense, and selected risk factors such as prior drug use.

• Between 2003 and 2004 the number of HIV-positive prisoners decreased 2.6%.
• During 2004, 20 States reported a decrease in the number of HIV-positive prisoners, and 24 states and the federal system reported an increase.
• Rate of AIDS-related deaths in state prisons decreased in 2004.