Overview
Elderly inmates are considered the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population. In turn, they pose unique challenges for corrections management, particularly as it relates to their health. This review includes a description of the historic growth of an older prison population, the current health-care demands being placed upon prison services and budgets, and the attendant controversies about how to best address these demands. This entry concludes with the open questions that must necessarily be answered in moving forward with the effective care and management of an ever-growing group of older, and often infirm, inmates.
Introduction
There is unprecedented growth in the incarcerated elderly population. These prisoners are now the fastest-growing group of inmates, increasing at a rate three times that of the general prison population. Thousands of inmates are baby boomers, and as they age, prisons find themselves having to plan to care for an aging population (Gater 2010...
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Subjack, J., Aguilar, G., Titterington, V.B. (2014). Aging Prison Population: Factors to Consider. In: Bruinsma, G., Weisburd, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_522
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