Definition
The term “prisoners” refers to individuals in the physical custody of a correctional facility (a jail, a prison, etc.) who are either awaiting their trial or serving their sentence. Although definitions vary by countries and studies, prisoners aged 55 or older are commonly considered as “older prisoners.” In fact, prisoners tend to age faster than the general population, and their health concerns are usually those of individuals who are 10–15 years older than them.
Overview
In most Western countries, the aging of prisoners is an ongoing and rampant phenomenon. It comes with health, legal, and ethical challenges for the correctional systems, since care and custody can be conflicting. For old individuals, being incarcerated has significant implications in terms of life conditions, in particular health-care access.
Key Research Findings
A Growing...
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Ricordeau, G. (2019). Older Prisoners. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_401-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_401-1
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