The House of Commons Justice Committee has welcomed the
Government's acceptance that there should be a new strategy for
dealing with the increasing number of older prisoners, but has
called for more detail on that strategy and a timeframe for it.
The Committee meanwhile regretted that the government had
rejected its recommendation that older prisoners be
systematically screened for dementia.
The Committee's comments came as it published the Government's
response to its in-depth report, Ageing
Prison Population, which was itself published in July of this
year.
The number of prisoners in England and Wales aged over 60 has
increased by over 240% since 2002, primarily because of an
increase in the number of older men being sentenced for sexual
offences. Between 2002 and 2020 the number of prisoners over 60
has grown from around 1500 to over 5000.
This increased population of older people has profound
implications for the prison service. Older prisoners are more
likely to have chronic diseases, disability and decreased
mobility. Moreover, many of our prisons, especially those built
in the Victorian era, were not designed to accommodate people
with serious illnesses or mobility issues.
With these realities in mind, the Committee recommended that
long-term prison estate strategy should reflect the needs of
older prisoners, especially as the government is planning to
build new prisons to accommodate a projected 10,000 more
prisoners in the years to come. The Minister responsible for
prisons, , acknowleged these findings and told the Justice
Committee she had commissioned an older offenders strategy.
The Committee expressed disappointment that the government had
rejected its recommendation that older prisoners be
systematically screened for dementia, and that prison officers
who work with older prisoners receive related training.
The Justice Committee report published in July had noted that 85%
of prisoners over the age of 60 have some form of major illness
and that prisoners tend to "age" more prematurely than people in
the general population because of a variety of social and
physical disadvantages.
In its response, the government said only that healthcare
providers would be asked to look out for symptoms and ensure they
knew what to do if these arise.
The Chair of the Justice Committee, , said:
"When many of our jails were built, in Victorian times, it
couldn't have been imagined that so many people, including
prisoners, would live much longer lives. Because of this, some of
these buildings are no longer fit for purpose. So while we
welcome the Government's commitment to commissioning an older
offenders strategy, we need more detail. We would ask the
Ministry to set out the parameters. Who will it consult, for
example, and how will we measure success? We would also ask the
Minister for a clear timeline on this strategy.
On the issue of dementia I am very disappointed that the Ministry
of Justice did not agree that every older prisoner should have
systematic access to screening and be treated accordingly. Left
untreated, dementia can rob a person of their dignity and we
should not go down that road. I would urge the Government to
reconsider our proposal and to set out, on the record, what
precise tools are currently in place to identify prisoners with
dementia".
