Older prisoners are now the fastest growing subgroup of prisoners in England and Wales.1 There are about 8000 prisoners aged 50 and over, comprising 11% of the prison population,1 and many have multiple health and social needs.

Some of the rise in older prisoners is attributable to the overall growth of the prison population,2 which has doubled in the past 20 years.3 The increase in older prisoners, however, outstrips that of other groups (fig 1⇓).2 A key factor seems to be a greater inclination on the part of the authorities to secure convictions against sex offenders.4 Forty two per cent of men aged over 50 in prison have convictions for sexual offences (table 1⇓).1 5 Sexual offenders are given long sentences, and advances in forensic science mean that it is possible to secure convictions for “historical” crimes.4 When it comes to sentencing, the age of an older offender rarely has any bearing.6

For researchers, “older” prisoners are aged 50-60 and above.7 Although a 50 year old man in the community would not usually be described as old, observers suggest that typical prisoners are functionally older than their chronological age. This is as a result of their previous lifestyle, lack of prior medical care, and the experience of incarceration.7 8 9

Most prison research has focused on young men, with older prisoners seldom included.10 There is a lack of knowledge concerning …