Psick Zachary, Simon Jonathan, Brown Rebecca, Ahalt Cyrus
Department of Sociology, University of California , Davis, Davis, California, USA.
University of California, Berkeley , Berkeley, California, USA.
Int J Prison Health. 2017 Mar 13;13(1):57-63. doi: 10.1108/IJPH-09-2016-0053.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the policy Implications of aging prison populations. Design/methodology/approach An examination of the worldwide aging trend in prison and its implications for correctional policy, including an examination of population aging in California prisons as a case example of needed reform. Findings Prison populations worldwide are aging at an unprecedented rate, and age-related medical costs have had serious consequences for jurisdictions struggling to respond to the changes. These trends are accompanied by a growing body of evidence that old age is strongly correlated with desistance from criminal behavior, suggesting an opportunity to at least partially address the challenges of an aging prison population through early release from prison for appropriate persons. Originality/value Some policies do exist that aim to reduce the number of older, chronically ill or disabled and dying people in prison, but they have not achieved that goal on a sufficient scale. An examination of the situation in California shows that recognizing how the healthcare needs of incarcerated people change as they age - and how aging and aging-related health changes often decrease an older person's likelihood of repeat offense - is critical to achieving effective and efficient policies and practices aimed at adequately caring for this population and reducing their numbers in prisons when appropriate.
目的 本文旨在探讨监狱人口老龄化的政策影响。设计/方法/途径 考察全球监狱人口老龄化趋势及其对惩教政策的影响，包括以加利福尼亚州监狱人口老龄化为例，审视所需改革。研究结果 全球监狱人口正以前所未有的速度老龄化，与年龄相关的医疗成本给难以应对这些变化的司法管辖区带来了严重后果。这些趋势伴随着越来越多的证据表明，老年与停止犯罪行为密切相关，这表明有机会通过让合适的人提前出狱，至少部分应对监狱人口老龄化的挑战。原创性/价值 确实存在一些旨在减少监狱中老年人、慢性病患者、残疾人和垂危者数量的政策，但这些政策在足够大的规模上尚未实现这一目标。对加利福尼亚州情况的考察表明，认识到被监禁者的医疗需求如何随着年龄增长而变化，以及老龄化和与年龄相关的健康变化如何常常降低老年人再次犯罪的可能性，对于制定旨在充分照顾这一人群并在适当时候减少其监狱人数的有效且高效的政策和做法至关重要。
