Mara Cynthia Massie
College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg, 777 West Harrisburg Pike, Middletown 17057, USA.
J Aging Soc Policy. 2002;14(2):43-61. doi: 10.1300/J031v14n02_03.
Throughout the United States, departments of corrections are experiencing increases in their inmate populations. More specifically, the number of aging inmates is increasing and will continue to grow as younger prisoners who have long sentences with no possibility of parole age in prison. In addition, the number of younger inmates with illnesses such as AIDS has increased. Although long-term care can be required by individuals of any age, the need for such assistance tends to increase with age. Long-term care, therefore, can be seen as an issue confronting prisons with aging inmate populations. Yet, little is known about the nature or extent of the need. This paper focuses on older inmates and includes reasons for the increased need for long-term care in the prison setting. The standard for prison health care, the long-term-care status of older inmates, and examples of long-term-care services and facilities are described. Key questions related to furnishing long-term care to an older incarcerated population are identified. Recommendations are presented for both corrections and long-term-care providers and policymakers as they develop strategies to address this challenge.
在美国各地，惩教部门的囚犯人数都在增加。更具体地说，老年囚犯的数量在增加，并且随着那些长期服刑且没有假释可能的年轻囚犯在狱中变老，这一数字还将继续增长。此外，患有艾滋病等疾病的年轻囚犯数量也有所增加。虽然任何年龄段的人都可能需要长期护理，但这种援助的需求往往会随着年龄的增长而增加。因此，长期护理可被视为囚犯老龄化的监狱所面临的一个问题。然而，对于需求的性质或程度却知之甚少。本文关注老年囚犯，并阐述了监狱环境中对长期护理需求增加的原因。描述了监狱医疗保健标准、老年囚犯的长期护理状况以及长期护理服务和设施的实例。确定了与为老年被监禁人群提供长期护理相关的关键问题。针对惩教部门、长期护理提供者和政策制定者在制定应对这一挑战的策略时提出了建议。
