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Prison system not geared up to meet needs of older prisoners
Nacro, the crime reduction charity, has backed the Chief Inspector of Prisons' call for a national strategy for older prisoners. Paul Cavadino, Nacro's Chief Executive, said:
"Far more needs to be done to cater for the physical, mental and welfare needs of older prisoners. Eighty per cent of older prisoners have a disability or chronic illness and around half have mental health problems, usually depression. Many parts of the prison system still have wholly inadequate facilities to deal with these needs.
"It is often harder to resettle older prisoners because they are more likely to be institutionalised. It is particularly important to ensure that offending behaviour programmes in prisons are suitable for older prisoners. At present they are often geared to the needs of offenders at younger ages.
"The Chief Inspector's findings should also make us question this country's increasingly harsh sentencing policies. What is the point of locking up more and more prisoners for periods stretching well into their old age? Continuing to hold prisoners in custody when they are in their late eighties with Alzheimers is inhumane and does nothing to increase public safety."
ENDS
Anne Owers, Chief Inspector, prison, older prisoners, age, mental health, disability, resettlement, Paul Cavadino
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