Aging in the prison system

Aging in the prison system
Public concern:


Growing public concern about victimization
and its impact on individuals, families and
communities
Politicians, criminal justice officials and a
substantial majority of the public in
Western nations favour greater use of
longer prison terms
Prison Reform

Prime Minister
Harper’s priorities:


increased automatic
prison terms
impose minimum jail
sentences
Canada’s 54 Federal
Penitentiaries



12,700 prisoners
serving two years or
more
Staff and Inmates
cost about $1.8
billion per year
Increasing numbers
of aged
Reasons for Incarceration

Homicide as most serious offence:



25% for all other age categories
33% for those age 50 – 59
Sexual Offence as most serious offence:


16% for offenders under the age of 50
62% for offenders 65 and over
Incarceration cont’d
Most serious current offence by age category
(M. Gal unpublished Doctoral thesis)
Under
50
5054
5559
60-64
65+
Homicide
23.3
27.7
32.9
25.6
24.1
Sex
16.0
30.1
38.8
51.2
62.4
Assault
14.5
9.7
6.9
4.1
2.3
Robbery
22.4
12.3
7.6
5.8
2.3
Other
violent
4.0
2.8
3.6
2.3
3.0
Nonviolent
19.8
17.4
10.2
11.1
6.0
Total
number of
cases
8,972
528
304
172
133
Long term sentences


Between 1981 and 1991 the age of long
term offenders increased from 35 years to
almost 38.
homicide offenders must serve at least 10
years and up to as many as 25 years
before parole eligibility
Refitting prisons


The fiscal impact of an aging prison
population on medical services alone is
staggering.
Managing a correctional institution which
contained persons with Alzheimer’s is
virtually inconceivable
Mental health concerns



The prevalence rates of mental health problems
among older offenders are mixed
Some studies have shown that older offenders
have greater social, psychological and physical
health needs than younger offender
Others indicate that older offenders have fewer
mental health concerns
Depression


Older offenders were more neurotic, less
psychotic and exhibited less anti-social
symptomatology than younger offenders
The strain of incarceration produces an
accelerated deterioration in both the
physical and mental health status of the
elderly
Depression cont’d

Older offenders who view their situation
negatively or as hopeless are at increased
risk for developing depression
Stress factors

A review of definitions of stress concluded
that events labelled as stressful are
changes in the environment, the
individual’s appraisal of the situation and
the person’s perceived ability to cope with
the environment through the utilization of
resources, such as social support
Stressors for the older offender




Having limited control, as in the case of
incarceration
Loss of loved ones and friends
Lack of a supportive social network
Abrasive interactions with other inmates
Physical stress results

The following physiological
problems have been related
to increased levels of
stress:


increases in blood pressure,
cholesterol, pulse rate, blood
sugar, and incidences of
peptic ulcers
Can place the older
offender at increased risk
for infectious diseases and
illnesses
Offenders with mental health and
disabilities

May have intellectual disabilities, mental
health disabilities and speech disorders


20 per cent have a mental illness and five to
eight per cent are seriously mentally ill
Have no chance for “gradual release” that
most able-bodied prisoners have access to
Treatment solutions and
struggles:

‘Dispersal’ is one of the correctional policy
debates concerning long-term inmates


Concentrating v.s. dispersing long term
offenders throughout the prison
Environmental needs of many long-term
prisoners, especially older persons, are
different
Matching needs of long-term
offenders





Treating them as a separate group with
unique needs, but integrating longtermers with other offenders;
Recognizing the heterogeneity of the
population;
Providing life-sentence offenders with a
sense of purpose and direction;
Using a variety of physical settings
Being flexible rather than rigid in security
designations
Reintegration Effort for Long-term Infirm
and Elderly Federal Offender (RELIEF)

The RELIEF program grew from a
collaborative effort between offenders,
community volunteers and service staff for
offenders who could not care for
themselves
Relief goals and objectives





To provide a safe reintegration option for
elderly/infirmed offenders
To provide safe, secure, humane care for
offenders at a dependent stage of their life
To provide care giving in a correctional setting
that follows the same standards of care and
practices established in the community
To train selected offenders to provide care
To establish and maintain responsible care
teams
Conclusions and Direction



Older offenders are primarily incarcerated
for violent offences
Older offenders more commonly used a
firearm or harmed someone they knew
while committing their offences
Older offenders tend to cause
psychological harm while younger
offenders cause physical harm to their
victims
Health issues of older offenders


Abusive drinking and drinking related
issues
Multiple chronic conditions such as
diabetes, high blood pressure and heart
disease

the percentage of these chronic conditions
incrementally increases from 46% for
offenders aged 50 to 54 to 79% for offenders
aged 65 and older
Seven recommendations to
effectively manage older offenders
1. Medical teams in prisons take geriatric courses
2. Medical teams obtain comprehensive physical and
psychosocial case histories and provide follow-up
3. Incorporate funds for rehabilitative therapy and
prosthetic devices into budgets
4. That panels of physicians meet regularly to review
medications
5. Provide therapeutic diets and exercise programs
6. Consider dispensing vitamins as needed
7. Increase frequency of parole reviews for older
offenders
How are we doing:




Currently older institutions
are being fitted for handicap
cells and ramps
Relief Programs are growing
Medical staff are becoming
more aware of older
offenders
All the material presented is
the result of corrections
planning
Do we treat our aged with
respect?