Another example of the prison system’s inability to stand up for what is right involves sterile needles used for tattoos.
Prisoners use all manner of tools to do tattoos, none of them sterile. The result of this was infection with hepatitis and/or other diseases. The prison staff knew that in the long run sterile needles would lead to big savings of money and lives. So they allowed the men to set up sort of a tattoo parlor in the basement of Matsqui prison. The needles used were sterile and nobody got sick.
Someone in the community got the word that those convicts were getting free tattoos in the basement of Matsqui prison.
As they always seem to do, the prison staff caved in. The tattoo parlor was closed. Apparently it didn’t matter if men got Hepatitis A, B, or C. What was important was the image of the prison.
Prison Uncensored - The Truth Behind the Bars 