Aging Inmates: Issues Surrounding Health Care, End-of-Life and Dying in Prison.
Much like the US population in general, the prison population is aging rapidly raising
concerns about health care, end-of life planning, and dying in prison. The impact of aging is amplified within the prison system.
Typically, the health status of inmates in their 50’s is physiologically similar to community-dwelling individuals
in their 70’s, making 55 old by prison standards. The 55+ age group is the
fastest growing segment of the prison population increasing by 18.1% between 2000 and 2010 compared to a
17% increase in the overall prison population. It is estimated that within the next ten years one in 5, or 20%, of inmates will be old.
Reasons for the graying of the prison population include longer sentences related to minimum mandatory sentencing and “three strikes”
rule, reduced options for early release, revocation of parole policies, recidivism, and inmates living longer.
Mathematically, the aging of the Baby Boomer generation has led to more older adults committing crimes. Older inmates are comprised of three groups: those aging within the prison system due to longer sentences, repeat offenders, and those who are first-time offenders in later life.
Premature aging means that older inmates tend to be sicker than the general population with more chronic and life-limiting diseases. This is compounded by lifestyle and environmental conditions such as lower socioeconomic status and less prior access to health care resulting in older inmates having poorer health outcomes such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, substance abuse, and mental illness.
A key concern generated by the growth of the older inmate population is how to provide and pay for appropriate environmental conditions and services for older inmates.
Palliat Med Hosp Care Open J. 2018; 5(1): e1-e3. doi: 10.17140/PMHCOJ-5-e007
