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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 2:04 am
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Results for elderly prisoners
7 results foundAuthor: de Viggiani, Nick Title: Music in Time: An Evaluation of a Participatory Creative Music Programme for Older Prisoners Summary: This evaluation was developed as a research collaboration between the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol and a Community Interest Company, Superact, which is affiliated with the south west regional branch of an arts charity, Live Music Now! The funding for the project was awarded by the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (the Transformation Fund) to support the development of a creative music educational programme for older prisoners. Superact CIC and Live Music Now! have extensive experience of delivering music education programmes for prisoners. UWE was invited to provide research expertise in terms of developing and conducting the evaluation. The evaluation took a formative, qualitative approach to enable the creative music programme provided by Superact CIC to be evaluated from the points of view of prisoners across a range of establishments in the south west of England. This report describes the aims and objectives of the evaluation, provides an overview of the context, describes the methodology and fieldwork processes and reports on the findings. It is hoped that the information in the report can help inform future developments of creative arts programmes in this field. Details: Bristol, UK: University of West England, 2010. 101p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 30, 2010 at: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/8255/ Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/8255/ Shelf Number: 120319 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsElderly PrisonersMusic |
Author: Omolade, Samuel Title: The needs and characteristics of older prisoners: Results from the Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction (SPCR) survey Summary: This report summarises findings from Sample 2 of Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction (SPCR), a longitudinal cohort study of 2,171 adult prisoners sentenced to between 18 months and four years in 2006 and 2007. It focuses on the needs and characteristics of 115 older prisoners (aged 50 and over) on reception to custody compared to 2,056 younger prisoners (18-49 years old). A degree of caution should be taken in extrapolating findings due to the small numbers in the SPCR sample and that older prisoners received into prison to serve a sentence of between 18 months and four years constituted a relatively small sub-sample of all prisoners aged over 50 at the time of the survey (15% of prison receptions between June 2006 and July 2007). However, this study is still useful in suggesting that older prisoners may have some unique needs which should be considered in targeting resources. Key findings - Older prisoners may have greater health needs than younger prisoners. Of the SPCR sample, they were more likely to report needing help with a medical problem and be considered to have a disability. Older prisoners were also more likely to report long-term sickness/disability as a reason for having been unable to work in the four weeks before custody and were more likely to have been claiming sickness/incapacity benefit in the year before custody. - A higher proportion of older prisoners reported completing a degree/diploma or equivalent or trade apprenticeship, whilst younger prisoners were more likely to report that they had been looking for work or training before coming to custody. - Older prisoners reported lower levels of drug use compared to younger prisoners, with fewer than three in ten older prisoners reporting using any drug before custody compared to the majority of younger prisoners. - Older prisoners in the SPCR sample were less likely than younger prisoners to reoffend in the year following release from custody. They reported that the most important factors in reducing their reoffending were suitable accommodation, fear of returning to prison, family contact and support and employment. Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2014. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Analytical Summary: Accessed April 30, 2015 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/368177/needs-older-prisoners-spcr-survey.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/368177/needs-older-prisoners-spcr-survey.pdf Shelf Number: 135434 Keywords: Elderly Inmates (U.K.)Elderly Prisoners |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: Old Behing Bars: The Aging Prison Population in the United States Summary: Aging men and women are the most rapidly growing group in US prisons, and prison officials are hard-pressed to provide them appropriate housing and medical care. The number of state and federal prisoners age 65 or older grew at 94 times the rate of the overall prison population between 2007 and 2010. Unless sentencing and release policies change, US prisons will increasingly resemble old age homes behind bars. Old Behind Bars: The Aging Prison Population in the United States includes statistics developed from federal and state sources documenting dramatic increases in the number of older US prisoners. Among the reasons for the increase are long (including life) sentences that reflect "tough-on-crime" policies. Many older prisoners remain incarcerated even though they are too old and infirm to threaten public safety if released. Prison facilities, rules, and customs were created with younger inmates in mind. They can pose special hardships for the older prisoners who are frail, who have mobility impairments, hearing and vision loss, and cognitive limitations, including dementia; or who have chronic, disabling, or terminal illnesses. In the nine states Human Rights Watch visited, many senior prison officials appeared aware of the unique needs of older prisoners, and many were struggling to respond. US prison officials, however, confront straitened budgets, prison architecture not designed for common age-related disabilities, limited medical facilities and staff, lack of planning, lack of support from elected officials, and the press of day-to-day operations. In circumstances like these, rights abuses are harder to avoid. Among its recommendations, Human Rights Watch urges state and federal officials to: - Review sentencing and release policies to reduce the growing population of older prisoners without risking public safety; and - Ensure that prison policies and practices are reviewed to ensure that the rights of aging prisoners to dignity, health, and safety are fully protected. Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2012. 110p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 28, 2015 at: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/usprisons0112webwcover_0.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/usprisons0112webwcover_0.pdf Shelf Number: 136608 Keywords: Elderly InmatesElderly Prisoners |
Author: Porporino, Frank J. Title: Managing the Elderly in Corrections Summary: There are few benefits to growing old. As we age, we inevitably deteriorate both physically and mentally, perhaps gradually if we are fortunate, but nonetheless steadily. Social psychological studies tell us that happiest elderly people are those who can remain active, with close connections with family and friends and other social supports, and who can still feel they are contributing in some meaningful fashion. We clearly live in an "ageist" society and none of us particularly looks forward to getting old, but old age can be negotiated more or less effectively when there is quality healthcare we can access, some level of financial stability we can enjoy, and supportive social networks we can be part of. Aging in prisons is another experience all together. Most elderly offenders will have lost touch with their families and friends, who are either dead, too old to visit, or have simply moved on with their lives. Health concerns are a daily preoccupation and fear of death, alone in a small cell, the fodder for nightmares. Opportunity to enjoy the small things in life, that become very important things as we grow older, is lost in prison; looking forward to our favorite meal, that special cup of tea, the calla lilies in our garden, or playing peek-a-boo with our grandchild. Aging in prison instead becomes an unceasing grind where one is forced to endure a boring, austere, routinized, noisy and foul smelling enclosed environment. There is no "choice" to learn to age gracefully in prison. You simply get old, quickly and mostly invisibly. The issue of managing the elderly in prisons has emerged as one of the most significant and unplanned for crises in corrections. Though it may be of most concern in developed nations, where life expectancy has steadily and significantly increased, the problem is growing quickly in developing nations where long prison sentences are becoming a matter of course. For many jurisdictions worldwide, it is an issue that has simply caught them by surprise as the aging of their prisoner population has begun to be noticed. It is clearly a situation that obliges action in accordance with numerous declarations of respect for human rights endorsed by most nations of the world. The elderly in prison, like all prisoners, have the right to be treated with respect for their humanity and inherent human dignity; to not be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; to receive appropriate medical and mental healthcare; to have reasonable accommodation for their disabilities; and to be provided activities and programs to support their rehabilitation. This paper will attempt to: Outline the scope of the problem of the elderly offender in corrections; Discuss what might be causing this problem; and finally, Assess what some of the most significant consequences might be for the delivery of correctional services to this population, and what possible responses (policies, programs or services) might be helpful. Details: Unpublished paper, 2014. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 24, 2016 at: http://archive.icpa.ca/tools/download/1981/Managing_The_Elderly_in_Corrections.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://archive.icpa.ca/tools/download/1981/Managing_The_Elderly_in_Corrections.pdf Shelf Number: 138404 Keywords: Aged OffendersCorrectional AdministrationElderly InmatesElderly Prisoners |
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Justice Committee Title: Older Prisoners Summary: UK prisons are failing to cope with the rapid growth in the number of older prisoners - partly caused by the increase in convictions for historic sexual offences - the Justice Committee has found in a new report that calls on the Ministry of Justice to develop a national strategy to provide for older prisoners effectively. Sir Alan Beith MP Chair of the Justice Select Committee: "The number of older prisoners is now very high and is likely to remain so. The growth of the older prison population and the severity of the needs of that population, warrant a national strategy in order to provide for them effectively." "Older and disabled prisoners should no longer be held in institutions which cannot meet their basic needs nor should they be released back into the community without adequate support. In one case we heard of a prisoner who was a wheelchair user being released from prison without a wheelchair." "We met some excellent prison officers and charity workers who are providing essential social care but an ad hoc system means that too often older prisoners have to rely on the goodwill of officers and their fellow inmates to fulfil the most basic of care needs." "Many older prisoners are currently being held in establishments that cannot meet their needs. The lack of provision for essential social care for older prisoners, the confusion about who should be providing it, and the failure of so many authorities to accept responsibility for it, have been disgraceful." Many of our prisons were built to house young fit men, but the growth in the number of older prisoners in the last decade has exposed the inadequacy of current provision for prisoners over 50. Poor accessibility, cramped conditions and inappropriate accommodation facilities in some prisons means the basic physical needs of older prisoners are not met. Suitable social care and mental health provision for older prisoners is also poor or non-existent in some parts of the prison estate. The responsibility to adapt the prison environment so that it suits less able prisoners lies with a prison's senior management team and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). The report recommends that NOMS conduct a comprehensive analysis of prisons' physical compliance with disability discrimination and age equality laws. NOMS should determine which prisons simply are not able to make the adaptation necessary to hold older prisoners and it should then no longer hold older or disabled prisoners in these institutions. Details: London: Stationery Office Limited, 2013. 144p. Source: Internet Resource: Fifth Report of Session 2013-14: Accessed August 5, 2016 at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmjust/89/89.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmjust/89/89.pdf Shelf Number: 130036 Keywords: Elderly InmatesElderly OffendersElderly Prisoners |
Author: Joyce, Joanna Title: "In Here, Time Stands Still": The Rights, Needs and Experiences of Older People in Prison Summary: The number of older people in Irish prisons has increased considerably in recent years and this group now represents a substantial minority within the Irish prison system. Latest figures indicate that almost 10% of people in prison custody today are over the age of 50. This new report from IPRT examines the rights, needs and experiences of this vulnerable group within the prison system, and makes key recommendations as to how the Irish Prison Service can meet these needs. The recommendations contained in the report are based on best practice examples set out in the research literature and on the recommendations of the research participants and professional stakeholders. If acted upon, these recommendations will greatly improve the lives of older people in the Irish prison system. Details: Dublin: Irish Penal Reform Trust, 2016. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 21, 2016 at: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT-Older_People_in_Prison_Report_web.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT-Older_People_in_Prison_Report_web.pdf Shelf Number: 147849 Keywords: Aged OffendersElderly InmatesElderly Prisoners |
Author: Wintringham Title: "Silver Bullet": Or confused greying fox? Best Practice Support Model for Older Prisoners Summary: The number of older prisoners in Australian prisons increased by 84 percent over the past decade 2000 - 2010 (ABS 2010b, 2000). This rising number and proportion of older prisoners has implications for planning, policy and service delivery across the correctional systems, with the most immediate and apparent issues facing older prisoners being related to ageing and associated declines in mental and physical health. In Australia, the increasing levels of older and geriatric prisoners have been driven by factors which include the wider community's increasing longevity being reflected in the prison system, together with advances in forensic investigations leading to charges being laid many years after the actual offence. For whatever reason however, jails in Australia (and around the world) are now increasingly accommodating older people who have aged care needs that are currently beyond the capacity of a justice system to provide. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2011 data shows that older prisoners (over 60) have a much higher percentage of a "serious" offence charge than their younger cohorts. Sexual assault dominates the offences of older prisoners. Although a 'typical' older offender is not identified in the literature, the apparently increasing prevalence of sex offenders among older male prisoners is frequently noted throughout the literature (APCCA 2001; Bramhall 2006; Carlisle 2006; Crawley 2004; Crawley & Sparks 2006; Dobson 2004; Heckenberg 2006; Ove 2005; Papanikolas 2006; Prison Reform Trust 2003a, 2003b, 2006; Uzoaba 1998; Valios 2008). According to Heckenberg (2006), of all male sentenced prisoners over the age of 45 in Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and New Zealand, 50 per cent were imprisoned for sexual assault and homicide. In the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, this rise in older sex offenders in prison could be due to more aggressive policing practices and government legislative responses to public disquiet about sex offenders and so-called lenient sentencing (BBC 2003; Gaseau 2004; Heckenberg 2006). Contrary to other older offenders, sex offenders are a highly visible group and are frequently categorised by their offence, rather than their age (Bramhall 2006; Dobson 2004; Heckenberg 2006). Some writers argue therefore, older sex offenders are subjected to the highest level of discrimination of any offender group, by virtue of the combination of their age and offence category and the public attitudes toward these offenders (Crawley 2004; Crawley & Sparks 2006; Heckenberg 2006; Prison Reform Trust 2003a). If Wintringham is to provide best practice support for aged prisoners, there is no doubt staff need to be supported to develop a deeper understanding of the issues faced by this cohort of prisoners. Australian Guidelines for Correctional Centres indicate correctional services should provide proper health care to prisoners; yet there is evidence older prisoners' aged care needs are not met and further, they are more vulnerable to victimisations than their younger, generally stronger counterparts. This predicament for aged prisoners is paralleled by the aged homeless and has been well described by Bryan Lipmann (Elderly Homeless Men and Women: Aged Care's Forgotten People). Victoria's Justice system is clearly in need of expert advice and expertise from an organisation such as Wintringham to help provide for these Wintringham's specialist aged care focus leads it to be naturally involved with clients who have had some relationship with correctional services. Given this reality, Wintringham have commenced a more formal relationship with Corrections Victoria. Through this relationship Wintringham's knowledge of the issues surrounding housing, care and support of older prisoners has further developed. Wintringham staff have become aware of the increasing number of elderly prisoners within Victorian jails. The growing numbers of elderly prisoners and the dilemma they pose to the Justice system regarding how best to provide appropriate care within a secure setting, resulted in an invitation from the then Secretary of the Justice Department, Ms Penny Armytage, for senior Executives from Wintringham to accompany her on visits to a number of metropolitan and country jails to discuss the problem (2010). Whilst evidence indicates that Victorian prisons have a growing ageing prison population, there was little evidence of a coordinated approach to managing the aged related issues of prisoners in a contemporary manner. Strategies such as reliance on the prison hospital for care of the elderly have been employed. This is equivalent to the general, "free-world" population being reliant on acute care hospitals for aged care services. Not only is this a costly approach to aged care, acute care hospitals do not have the specialist aged care knowledge that the aged care industry has developed over many years. Details: Kensington, VIC, AUS: Wintringham, 2013. 117p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2017 at: http://www.wintringham.org.au/file/434/I/Best_Practice_Support_Model_for_Older_Prisoners.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: http://www.wintringham.org.au/file/434/I/Best_Practice_Support_Model_for_Older_Prisoners.pdf Shelf Number: 131713 Keywords: Aged OffendersElderly InmatesElderly PrisonersHealth Care |