Older Criminals and Policy Issues

Paper Summary:

This paper examines a number of issues that policy makers need to address regarding the caring and housing of elderly inmates. It explains that, although there are current policies in place that establish a prisoner's right to health care and right to not be discriminated against based on disability, the policies are vague and unclear. The writer discusses how the vagueness of these policies has led to controversy and debate in the public as a whole, as well as the Supreme Court. The writer strongly asserts that policies addressing inmates and correctional facilities will not only impact inmates, but will also impact correctional officers, the medical field, and the population as a whole. The writer concludes that with the increase of older inmates, more research is being done to understand what is occurring and what is needed to help prepare for the needs of older inmates.

From the Paper:

"The reasons for older adults committing crimes are often the same as nonelderly offenders. Some crime may be due to low socioeconomic status, drugs, unstable social relationships, and alcohol. On the other hand, it could also be due to the onset of dementia, which can cause an individual to lose social screens and have a lack of judgment. Feelings of depression and boredom can also lead to crime (Frolik & McChrystal Barnes, 2003). The changes in the number of older adults in prison can be attributed to many different possibilities. Three of which are the increase in the older adult population, changes in the sentencing guidelines, and parole changes. All three of the above led to an increase in the population of inmates serving time."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aday, R.H. (2003). Aging prisoners: Crisis in American corrections. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
• Beck, A.J., & Maruschak, L.M. (2001). Mental health treatment in state prisons, 2000. U.S. Department of Justice, 1-8.
• Beers, M.H. (Ed.). (2004). Health & Aging. New York: Ballantine Books.
• Burrow, J.D., & Koons-Witt, B.A. (2004). Elderly status, extraordinary physical impairments and intercircuit variation under the federal sentencing guidelines. Law and Society Association, 273-277.
• Clemmit, M. (2007). Are prisons dumping grounds for the mentally ill? Prison Health Care, 17 (1), 1-34.

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