No place for old men
Why read this evidence review?
This evidence review provides an in-depth look at the issues and challenges of our ageing prison population.
Louise Ridley, senior lecturer in Criminology at Northumbria University, reviews the current evidence base – to which she is an important contributor – and covers a number of key issues including:
- The disproportionate growth in the number of older people in prison
- The challenges to the prison system to provide the same level of care to this group
- The lack of a coherent strategy and the consequences of limited responses to the needs of older people in prison
- The ways in which some prisons have adapted to the challenges of caring for so many people with chronic health and social care needs
She also reviews the important role played by voluntary organisations, working collaboratively in prisons and improving the quality of life experienced by older people in prison.
An online evidence base for the voluntary sector working in the criminal justice system
This article forms part of a series from Clinks, created to develop a far-reaching and accessible evidence base covering the most common types of activity undertaken within the criminal justice system. There are two main aims of this online series:
- To increase the extent to which the voluntary sector bases its services on the available evidence base
- To encourage commissioners to award contracts to organisations delivering an evidence-based approach.
Each article has been written by a leading academic with particular expertise on the topic in question. The topics are selected by Clinks’ members as areas of priority interest. Clinks intends to build a comprehensive directory of the best evidence available across a wide range of criminal justice topics within the next three years (2020-2023).
The online evidence base is co-ordinated by Russell Webster on behalf of Clinks.
Click here to find out more about the Evidence library.
Want to find out more about this topic?
Part of the 'A matter of fact: what the evidence tells us' series, to accompany our Evidence library, Clinks is giving you the chance to hear from the experts themselves. Louise Ridley discusses the latest evidence around the key issues and challenges of our ageing prison population and takes questions from the audience.
Watch the video recording below: