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Factor 8: The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal

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'Factor 8: The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal' is a feature length documentary by Arkansas filmmaker Kelly Duda. Through interviews and presentation of key documents and footage, Duda builds a case alledging that for more than two decades, the Arkansas prison system profited from selling blood plasma from inmates infected with viral hepatitis and AIDS. The documentary contends that thousands of victims who received transfusions of a blood product derived from these plasma products, Factor 8, died as a result.

Through in-depth interviews with a number of players including victims in Canada who contracted the diseases, US state prison officials, former employees, high-ranking Arkansas politicians, and inmate donors the documentary is an unsettling look at a prison blood-harvesting scheme run by prisoners to earn them an income, and sold on by blood companies for millions. The harvested plasma was then shipped around the world, where it is believed it have infected thousands of haemophilia patients. Haemophilia is a genetic condition which prevents clotting.

In the United States, lawyers have won settlements for 8,000 US haemophilia sufferers after they were given infected blood. In 2002 the UK Government promised an inquiry if it was proven infected blood came from a US prison, although to date no inquiry has taken place. The UK Public Health Minister, Caroline Flint, has said: "We are aware that during the 1970s and 80s blood products were sourced from US prisoners" and the UK Haemophilia Society has called for a Public Inquiry. The UK Government maintains that the Government of the day had acted in good faith and without the blood products many patients would have died. In a letter to Lord Jenkin of Roding the Chief Executive of the NHS (National Health Service) informed Lord Jenkin that most files on contaminated NHS blood products which infected people with HIV and hepatitis C had unfortunately been destroyed "in error".

'Factor 8: The Arkansas Prison Blood Scandal' screened at Slamdance 2005 and again at the American Film Institute’s Los Angeles Film Festival in November 2005. It won a special mention award at AFI and received a commendable review from critic John Anderson in the industry newspaper Variety. The British premiere of the film was held in Soho, London on May 5th 2006.


References

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