Académique Documents
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Correctional Forum
June 2012
in
Pennsylvania
have a
Parent
in
PrisOn
cial proceedings, care-giving shortcom- embarrassment, to the shame More ings, and lack of contact with incarcersevere cases of neglect after a parents ated parents, children across the nation arrest were mentioned in the report, are experiencing such as a child as trauma, fear, isolayoung as six years tion, and neglect. old who was simAn example is ply left behind in Miss America, the apartment Laura Kaeppeler, without making who experienced arrangements for firsthand what him and his baby its like to have an brother (the boy incarcerated partried to take care ent and describes of himself and the emotional his baby brother State Senator Stewart Greenleaf trauma: None for weeks until stresses the importance of programs of my friends for children of incarcerated parents. could relate to the See Children Photo by Erica Zaveloff. on page 10 isolation, to the
the GrayinG
by Bridget Fifer
Of
Pennsylvanias PrisOns
by Eden Lee If we dont provide ex-offenders with the opportunity to have housing, how can we expect them to succeed? asked John Wetzel, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections at the recent public health panel: The Nexus Between Public Health and Criminal Justice. The 200 attendees also heard from Estelle Richman, Acting Deputy Director for the U.S.
See Public Health on page 10 1
CF: What are some health problems of individuals who are aging in our prison system? JH: We tend to need the most medical care in the last years of our lives and inmates are no different. Inmates often appear physically and psychologically ten years older than their age-mates in free society. For this reason, the definition of elderly has been set at 55 for incarcerated people. A lack of medical and dental care, unstable lifestyles, and drug and alcohol abuse may affect health and cause an inmate to age faster and require more medical care. All the dementias (Alzheimers, Parkinsons, etc.) also afflict incarcerated elderly, requiring special care and protection. CF: Why is the cost of incarceration so much higher for elderly prisoners? JH: Elderly people have higher costs of medical care. This is true outside prison, and it is true inside prison. They also need more medications and assistive devices like canes, braces, wheelchairs, glasses, etc. It has been estimated that medical care for elderly inmates is three times greater than the cost for younger inmates. The cost goes up, but the crime risk goes down. After age 55, the elderly do not require as much prison security. We are paying a lot for very little crime prevention. CF: Is abuse or neglect a concern with the elderly population in prisons? JH: Elderly offenders as a general group are less likely to complain if abused or neglected. They keep a low profile, and its easy to ignore the quiet person: Theyre not the squeaky wheels that get the oil, and their generation is less likely to speak out against authority. They can also be abused or intimidated by younger, stronger inmates. CF: What about the needs of elderly women in the prison system? JH: During my mid-1980s needs assessment at SCI Muncy, I visited a support group that older woman had formed to allow women to discuss their grandchildren without feeling corny or stupid, or to discuss problems like
hot flashes, etc. The women needed the companionship of older people who understood. (Their facility was part of the general prison population, and not a separate unit for elderly inmates.) CF: Do you think it is necessary to create a separate facility to accommodate the growing elderly prison population? JH: No, I prefer a greater use of compassionate or medical release first. In general, an individual would be better off in the community, with his or her family. At that age they are a very low crime risk; age and infirmity further reduce risk. In a needs assessment I conducted, I found that most elderly people do not want to be in a separate area or facility for fear of being forgotten and ignored. They want to be mainstreamed, but with access to necessary provisions based on age. For example, schedule time in the gym for older men, or specific times in the yard. This worked out well at SCI Graterford. Also, make sure they are not pushed behind in the chow line. COs can let older men receive food first. This is not discrimination because younger prisoners will be older one day and will get their turn. Elderly prisoners do have needs for protection, support, and special services such as medical care and supportive, accessible environments. CF: What are some possible solutions to the overrepresentation of the elderly population in prisons? JH: A change of legislation would be ideal. Prisoners need to be reassessed at intervals to determine if they are still a risk. This, of course, would have to be done on an individual basis and incarcerated individuals would not simply be released on the basis of age. There could always be that one wild card who is still a risk. (Life with parole would have to be approved by the legislature to release these prisoners on parole.) CF: What is something that the general population should know about the graying of Pennsylvania prisons? JH: The cost of medical care for an elderly inmate goes up as they age, but the likeliness of their committing a crime decreases dramatically. Many tax dollars could be saved by using alternatives to prison for low-risk older inmates.