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. 2023 Nov;53(6):17-24.
doi: 10.1002/hast.1540.

Forgotten and without Protections: Older Adults in Prison Settings

Jalayne J Arias, Lillian Morgado, Stephanie Grace Prost

Forgotten and without Protections: Older Adults in Prison Settings

Jalayne J Arias et al. Hastings Cent Rep. 2023 Nov.

Abstract

The number of older adults incarcerated in prisons is growing significantly, and there is a great need for legal authority, processes, and resources to mitigate individual and social burdens of elder neglect and abuse within these settings. Older adults in prison may be particularly vulnerable to abuse, neglect, or exploitation. They are dependent on the carceral system for basic resources, are at risk for retaliatory actions for reporting mistreatment, and bear disproportionately high health burdens. This essay first considers standards and resources for mitigating elder mistreatment in the community and residential-care settings in contrast to the available resources in prisons. Arguing that a conceptual model of elder abuse tailored to the prison population is needed, the essay proposes a research agenda through which such a model could be developed. The model could then be used in the creation of policy for detecting and mitigating elder mistreatment of incarcerated people. The essay concludes with a call to action to address the rift in legal protections and processes that leave older adults in prison at increased risk of abuse and neglect without a clear pathway for recourse.

Keywords: bioethics; correctional system; elder abuse; older adults; prison; systemic abuse.

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References

    1. Burnes D et al., “A Scoping Review of Outcomes in Elder Abuse Intervention Research: The Current Landscape and Where to Go Next,” Aggression and Violent Behavior 57 (2021): doi:10.1016/j.avb.2020.101476; - DOI
    2. Lachs M et al., “Bringing Advances in Elder Abuse Research Methodology and Theory to Evaluation of Interventions,” Journal of Applied Gerontology 40, no. 11 (2021): 1437–76. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lachs et al., “Bringing Advances in Elder Abuse Research Methodology and Theory to Evaluation of Interventions.” - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ibid.
    1. Widra E, “The Aging Prison Population: Causes, Costs, and Consequences,” Prison Policy Initiative (blog), August 2, 2023, https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2023/08/02/aging/.
    1. Ibid.