If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. u.s. Department of Justice National Institute of Corrections An Administrative Overview of the Older Inmate - National Institute of Corrections M. Wayne Huggins, Director Susan M. Hunter, Chief Prisons Division John E. Moore, Project Manager 144056 U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice This document has oeen reproduced exactly as received from the person or organization originating It. Points of view or opinions stated In this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the National Institute of Justice. Permission to reproduce this I ;*1 I material has been gra~lic Danain/NIC u. S. Department of Justlce to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). Further reproduction outside of the NCJRS system requires permission of the ...... owner. An Administrative Overview of the Older Inmate Dr. Joann B. Morton NC.JFlS August 1992 ., \ ..,\. j, " This project was supported by Grant #91P05GHM6 from the National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the offi­ cial position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Acknowledgements The staff wishes to express our deepest appreciation to the following individuals for their contributions to the development of this document. Judy C. Anderson, Warden State Park Correctional Center South Carolina Department of Corrections Dr. Julia G. Hall, Professor Department of Psychology/Sociology/Anthropology Drexel University Jesse James, Deputy Assistant Director Health Services Division Federal Bureau of Prisons Dr. Manoucheher "Mano" Khatibi Director, Youthful Offender Program Office Florida Department of Corrections Dr. H.A. Rosefield, Superintendent IV McCain Correctional Hospital North Carolina Department of Corrections Special appreciation is extended to Project Coordinator, Nettie C. Jacobs, for her commitment and dedication in the development of the document; to Brenda Reed and the South Carolina Department of Corrections for the photographs; to Project Monitor, John Moore, National Institute of Corrections, Prisons Division, for his guidance during the project; and to correctional administrators nationwide who provided information for this document. ii Contents FOREWORD .................................................................................................................................. ........ iv Chapter I - INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter II - DEFINING THE OLDER INMATE ................................................................................................ 3 What is "Old"? ...................................................................................................................................... 4 The Aging Process .................................................................................................................................. 4 Physical Health .................................................................................................................................. 5 Mental Health .............................................................................................. , ................................... 6 Medical Care .................................................................................................................................... 6 Other Factors .................................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter III - RESEARCH FINDINGS ON OLDER INMATES ................................................................................ 9 Legislation Related to the Elderly .............................................................................................................. 10 Classification and Assignment .................................................................................................................. 11 Physical Plant ...................................................................................................................................... 12 Programs and Services ...................................................................................... ,. ... ... .... ...... .. .... ........ 12 Staff Selection and Training .................................................................................................................... 13 Incarcerated 'Nomen .............................................................................................................................. 13 Chapter IV - POLICY AND PROGRAMMATIC ISSUES .................................................................................... 15 Assessment ........................................................................................................................................ 16 Accessibility and Adaptation .................................................................................................................... 17 Special Units ...................................................................................................................................... 17 Medical ............................................................................................................................................ 18 Staff Training ...................................................................................................................................... 19 Community Involvement ........................................................................................................................ 19 Chapter V - EXISTING SPECIAL UNITS ...................................................................................................... 21 Chapter VI - RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION ................................................ 25 Criminal Justice Resources ...................................................................................................................... 26 Other Organizations for Older People ........................................................................................................ 26 Organizations with Specific Interests .......................................................................................................... 28 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................ 32 iii ~---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Foreword As prison systems throughout the country experience an increasing number of older inmates, correctional administrators need to develop strategies to provide care and custody in a cost-effective, humane manner. This document examines the problems older offenders pose for correctional policy makers , administrators, and staff, and explores policy and program issues relevant to this population. It provides insight into programs that might prove effective in meeting the challenges older inmates present. We hope this information will help policymakers and practitioners identify areas of concern that should be addressed as well as guide them in improving the care and custody of older inmates. hr') jI t~/-tUt}f~/-rvji1,~ () ~ U M. Wayne Huggins, Director National Institute of Corrections August 1992 IV Chapter One Introduction "In general, older people are more heterogeneous than any other age group. This places an additional burden on prison systems because more attention to individualized assessment, programming, plan­ ning, and monitoring is required. " 1 r The picture of a frail elderly man mates, nor do they meet their needs, greater individual differences than seated in a wheelchair peering through Vito & Wilson, 1985, Morton & younger people. Therefore, more steel prison cell bars catches the Anderson, 1982; Newman, New­ individualized programming is public's attention. People generally man & Gewirtz, 1984; Chaiklin & needed that reflects the diverse bio­ hold the stereotype of prison in­ Fultz, 1983; Elderly, 1985; Walsh, logical, psychological, and social mates as physically active, aggres­ 1989; Dugger, 1988; Bernat, 1989). functioning levels of older inmates. sive young men. Prison administra­ Planning and programming for this These levels of functioning must be tors are finding that the "graying" age group present many challenges taken into account throughout all of America is indeed reflected in the for prison administrators who are aspects of institutionalization, from prison population. hampered, to some extent, by the intake assessment to release. Ignor­ lack of a common definition of the ing these differences and other needs Those 65 and older comprise the term "older offender. " of older inmates may result in seri­ fastest growing age group in the ous fiscal and legal implications for United States (Feldman, 1989). By Some define "older" chronologi­ many prison systems. the year 2000, 34 million Ameri­ cally, starting in the age range of 40 cans will be over age 65 -- 8 million to 65. Others do not address the Agencies also need to share infor­ more than in 1980 (Statistical, 1991). issue of chronological age at all. mation about programs that suc­ Americans over 50 years of age will They say that because of the impact cessfully address the special needs comprise