Mary Turner

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Many prisons are not designed for an aging group of prisoners

the aging of The Prison population, The Prison has told officers to leave-officers who care for a growing number of elderly inmates "to die in front of you",.

The Warning from The Prison Officers Association (POA) has come as new figures revealed that the oldest prisoners in England and Wales was 104 years old.

The data showed, there were 13,617 occupants over the age of 50 out-of-jail-population of 82,710 in June 2019.

The Prison Service says it is working to meet the needs of older prisoners.

More and more prisoners were frail, incontinent or had dementia, the POA said.

"you look at young in prison Staff training for prison officers to care," said Dave, who has worked in prisons as a sentence of imprisonment-manager for More Than 30 years.

The former officer, who did not want his real name used, said when he began, the work of the older prisoners were transferred to less secure prisons, if they had changed at the end of their sentences but the.

"Now you are older prisoners starting long sentences, and the young law enforcement officials come directly from the University, with very, very little life experience, And Then you are for dealing with major traumatic events, such as someone dying in front of them, or care for someone who at the end of his life. "

His concerns were also of the Chief Inspector of prisons, Peter Clarke , said The Prison Service should consider whether a new type of accommodation was required, especially for dealing with older prisoners.

"It feels to me As If you are trying to shoehorn this problem into the existing accommodation, rather than radical," said Mr. Clarke said.

The ex-prisoner is the view

Ken Denton, West Yorkshire , released from prison was to kill in June after serving a prison sentence for fraud and threats. At the age of 53, he was housed was in a More Than 50-year-old wing in a Yorkshire prison.

"If you know some of the prisons, you, you three or four landings are high, thin head, stairs, how do you expect an elderly person to climb?

"If you come to us, you are valued, and they will say, Well , you should be "flat", but if there is no place where you someone? How can you have someone from the second or third landing? You can't, it is inhumane.

"I saw people with cancer, and saw how people with diabetes, long-term prisoners, the their medication, but can't get their medication because the medication is Luke on the second floor and you have to go to a lift, but they don't come in the lift, because there is no Staff to take them.

"If you have a wheelchair is needed, it could three to four months, to a wheelchair, because you had already designed for himself, and it had to come from the specific local authority in the area you come are. "

The Prison authority said: "An ageing population, The Prison presents particular challenges, which is why we work closely with local authorities and health providers to ensure that we meet the needs of older prisoners.

"Last year, a report from the Chief Inspector of prisons found it was a good job for the adaptation of prisons for older prisoners, and we have an updated guide for governors on How To support you best. "

But, the Federal Chairman of the POA, Mark Fairhurst, said The System was not adapted to the needs of older prisoners.

"We need more access for the disabled cells are located on the Ground Floor . We are in need of 24-hour healthcare, and we need adequate training for employees. "

the age of prison inmates

breakdown of the age groups (%), England and Wales

source: Ministry of justice analysis of The aging of the population in prison

The Number of prisoners over 50 years has almost tripled, from 4,824 in 2002, The Point at which comparable data sets to start to 13,617 in the year 2019.

the whole of The Prison population in England and Wales increased by 16% in this time.

About 16% of prisoners were over the age of 50 years up to June 2019, compared with only 7% in 2002.

The figures showed that the 13,617 over the age of 50, were 1,759 at least 70.

women 548 of the More Than 50-year-old prisoners, including 32 at the age of 70 and more.

people in their 30s are still the largest age group in The Prison so that nearly a third of the entire population.

Tougher prison sentences and the increase in The Number of those convicted of historical sexual offences are probably part of the reason for the aging of the population in prison.

In 2016, 101-year-old Ralph Clarke from the 1970s and 80s. He was probably the oldest of the convicted person in British legal History .

Peter Clarke , the Chief Inspector of prisons, said, the Problem of an ageing population, The Prison had to

Dr. Mary Turner , reader in health services research at Huddersfield University, to be addressed said: "people tend to get longer sentences, even in old age, now, as you might have done in The Past and there are now more older people go to prison than be released. "

said The Situation was not sustainable.

"We can not only see these numbers going up and up and try to master it, in a prison environment, so that we can find to a point where we are thinking of alternatives, and we need solutions. "

She Said the options could be to secure the buildings, nursing homes and consider alternatives to imprisonment for elderly offenders.

Peter Clarke warned that The Number of men is kept More Than 50, in the prisons of the 17% of The Prison population would More Than 14,000 by the year 2022,.

"The Prison Service has not, so far, has said that it is a strategy for dealing with this Problem," the Chief Inspector of prisons, said the development of a total.

"If the prisoners are older, less capable, physically, or weak, they offer an escape of danger, they have to be kept in custody, very often, and it is not to say, you would be a risk to The Public , if they were completely free.

"But the issue is, it must be held, in the amount of the security which are not needed for their physical abilities, and are unavoidably very expensive, as Well ?"

elderly people, prisons, ageing, uk prisons

Source of news: bbc.com