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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Older prisoners: fifth report of Session 2013-14
— Vol I: Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence | | Corporate Author | Justice Committee, House of Commons |
| Publisher | TSO, London, 2013 |
| Pages | 144 pp (HC 89; incorporating HC 1100 i-iii) |
| Source | Download: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/... |
| Keywords | Prisoners ; Needs [elderly] ; Social policy ; Government publications. |
| Annotation | Older prisoners are the fastest growing group within the prison population. Between 2002 and 2013, the number of those aged over 60 grew by 120% and those aged 50-59 by 100%. Among reasons for this increase are that prisoners are serving longer sentences. More are now being convicted and sentenced to custody at an older age, including for historic offences that took place more than 20 twenty ago. Older prisoners are most likely to be serving sentences for sexual offences, which is reflected in the long sentences being served. In this report, the Justice Committee considers the characteristics of older prisoners; suitability of the prison estate and regimes; health and social care; and resettlement. The Committee recommends that older and disabled prisoners should no longer be held in institutions which are not able to meet their needs, or are unsuitable environments. The report highlights some of the excellent regimes that have specific activities for older prisoners who do not, or cannot, work. The Committee also identifies these problems: lack of communication between prison staff and health care, resulting in delays in accessing health services; an absence of basic personal social care; the poor basic skills of this prisoner group that are not recognised in their resettlement needs. The chapter, 'A national strategy for older prisoners?' notes that there is currently is no specific strategy for older prisoners apart from national guidance in the Department of Health's 'A pathway To care For older prisoners (2007), which recommended the introduction of an older prisoner policy in every prison. The report notes reluctance on the part of the Ministry of Justice which argued that a strategy was unnecessary, whereas Nick Hardwick, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and his predecessors had been advocating such a policy since 2004. Additional written evidence (to the oral and written evidence in this volume) is contained in Volume II, available on the Justice Committee website (at www.parliament.uk/justicecttee). (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-131121001 B |
| Classmark | TGF: IK: TM2: 6OA |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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