Prison Boom and the Elderly

I seriously doubt that the political currents beneath the punitive push to drastically lengthen prison sentences in the United States contained the slightest bit forethought into how locking up so many young people would morph into inadequate and inhumane retirement homes. Well here we are...

Below is a summary of a new Human Rights Watch report, Old Behind Bars.

Prison Officials Ill-Prepared to Run Geriatric Facilities
"The most rapidly growing group of people in US prisons are men and women older than 55. Elderly prisoners often cannot readily climb stairs, haul themselves to the top bunk, or walk long distances to dining halls. They are more likely to suffer from incontinence, dementia, or chronic ? and sometimes terminal ? illnesses, and to need special treatment.
Yet prison officials are hard-pressed to address the mounting needs of these prisoners or provide them with appropriate housing, a new report says.
Human Rights Watch found that the number of prisoners age 65 or older grew at an astonishing 94 times the rate of the overall prison population between 2007 and 2010. Long sentences mean that many current prisoners will not leave prison until they become extremely old, if at all.
But older prisoners incur medical costs that are three to nine times as high as those for younger prisoners. Most prison officials are not prepared to handle this vulnerable population, as they grapple with strained budgets, prison architecture not designed for common age-related disabilities, limited medical facilities, and lack of support from elected officials. The result is a situation where human rights violations become all the more difficult to avoid. "

From Human Rights Watch