So what do we do about all of these ageing prisoners?

The Economist has an article about the plight of older prisoners. I think it is on the free side of the paywall (not sure).

The main points of the article are that:

In most rich countries, the elderly are the fastest growing category of prisoner.

In the decade after 2000 the number of over-55 prisoners grew by 181% in America (the total prison population by 17%); the over-60s rose by 128% in England and Wales (against 34% overall); and in Australia the over-65s increased by 140%. By 2030 perhaps a third of American prisoners will be over 55. Just read that sentence again - a third of American prisoners will be 55+

Rimutaka prison, New Zealand’s biggest, opened the country’s first unit for vulnerable inmates (it is in a former youth wing). Fishkill prison in New York created a dementia unit in 2007. Japan’s Onomichi prison has equipped geriatric cells with rubber floors for the incontinent and ramps for the disabled.

It looks to me as if the prison authorities are taking more account of their ageing customers than most retailers. Dick Stroud