Not Recommended: Growing Old in Prison

"If you think growing old can be tough, try doing it in a prison. One segment of the 50+ population that is seldom mentioned in stories about our so-called golden years involves those who face the fact that they will most likely spend the remainder of their lives behind bars."

Prison conditions, especially for those getting on in years, can be horrendous.

In prison you age quicker

To many of us age 55 sounds pretty young, but aging is different for prisoners. From a health standpoint, elderly prisoners are about 10 years older than their chronological age due to characteristics of their lives before entering prison. Low socio-economic status, lack of access to health care, drug or alcohol use and years of living a hard life usually takes its toll.

A growing population

Just how many prisoners are we talking about? Using 50 as the definite age, there are approximately 125,000 elderly prisoners nationwide - about 11 percent of the total prison population. The number of older prisoners has more than doubled in a decade, and the increase is expected to continue.

Who are those people

Older inmates fall into three categories. There are "lifers", who have been in prison for their whole lives, new elderly offenders, who are sentenced in their 40s or 50s, and chronic re-offenders, who have been in and out of prison consistently.

The wants and needs of elderly inmates

Not surprising, being older and in prison is considerably more difficult than serving time when you are young. Studies show that elderly prisoners need more orderly conditions, safety precautions, emotional feedback and familial support than younger prisoners. They are especially uncomfortable in crowded conditions and tend to want time alone.

The old vs. the young

The relationship between older and younger inmates can be a problem. Most elderly prisoners are still integrated with other age groups, leaving them susceptible to intimidation and thievery. Older inmates are very vulnerable to the population that's stronger than them.

Fear leads to isolation

The fear of becoming a victim no doubt has an impact on one's daily life. Many prisons house aging prisoners in separate cells from younger inmates but do not exclude them from mixing in the yard with everyone else. Older inmates are often so scared of mingling that they don't go outside.

Health concerns

Then there is the matter of health. There are many concerns facing elderly prisoners, such as the lack of an adequate or balanced diet and insufficient preventive health care..

Men

It has been reported that the most common illness among elderly men in prison are diabetes and hepatitis C. Many are on dialysis machines, receive oxygen or have cancer.

Diabetes is especially problematic because non-medical prisons rarely cater to those with special dietary needs. Prisoners with diabetes usually eat the same food as other inmates - meals full of sugar and carbohydrates. Just think what a daily plate of pancakes and syrup can do.

Women

Female prisoners are at an even greater health risk. At just two percent of the prison population, their needs are most neglected. Older females, many of them grandmothers, have special health care needs that are very distinct from men.

Therapeutic services, cervical and breast cancer screenings and nutritional meals containing calcium and fresh vegetables as well as other necessary health programs are not widely available.

The shock of imprisonment

Imagine you are over 50 and just coming into prison and being isolated from your friends and family for the first time. It's hard experiencing a multitude of losses simultaneously.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, most crimes are committed by people in their late teens and early 20s. In California, for example, only 22 percent of all felony adult arrests in 1999 were people over age 39. Only 5 percent were above 50 years old and only 1 percent above 60.

Are things getting better or worse?

As people live longer, are in better health and have more energy, they sometimes get involved in things that might get them in trouble.

Unfortunately, a rise in senior crime is evident. We are seeing many more older people convicted of felonies, such as drug crimes, physical attacks and murder - most often against a spouse or neighbor. Some theories on the increase point to money problems, loneliness, depression, alcohol and drug abuse problems.

Its truly sad that at the point in life when contentment should be our goal, many of us are facing the most difficult challenges one can imagine.

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.