Providing quality health care for the rapidly aging prison population is a large and growing cost. More specifically, dementia becomes more prevalent within their population during their senior years, presenting an especially high demand for costly specialized care within the correctional system. The New York Times editorial, “Dementia Behind Bars” purports and presents examples of “new avenues” that states can pursue to help reduce the financial and humanitarian costs of the long-term incarceration of older inmates, especially those with dementia.
Today, prison systems assist inmates with tasks such as showering, feeding, shaving and changing adult diapers. Dementia in prison is a fast-growing phenomenon that many prisons are unskilled and …show more content…
To alleviate budget strain that comes with providing medical costs for these inmates, states can explore partnerships between prisons and nursing homes, allowing prisoners to receive quality care outside of a prison while remaining in state custody (“Dementia Behind Bars,” 2012). Because public and personal safety can be an issue with this population, risk assessment programs can be used to determine and screen out those considered still a danger to society. Similarly, states can cut down on the population of sick and elderly inmates by granting inmates in criminal justice systems eligibility for immediate early release on grounds of compassionate release (“Dementia Behind Bars,” 2012). Public safety can be maintained by developing a thorough evaluation and deliberation process to ensure that the inmate's release would not pose a danger to individuals or society. Lastly, states can prevent budget strains and ensure inmates receive quality health care by revising and reforming mandatory sentencing policies introduced with the promise of deterring future offenders and consequently reducing crime (“Dementia Behind Bars,” 2012). States must continue to perform in-depth studies on the correlation between longer sentences and their
Today, prison systems assist inmates with tasks such as showering, feeding, shaving and changing adult diapers. Dementia in prison is a fast-growing phenomenon that many prisons are unskilled and …show more content…
To alleviate budget strain that comes with providing medical costs for these inmates, states can explore partnerships between prisons and nursing homes, allowing prisoners to receive quality care outside of a prison while remaining in state custody (“Dementia Behind Bars,” 2012). Because public and personal safety can be an issue with this population, risk assessment programs can be used to determine and screen out those considered still a danger to society. Similarly, states can cut down on the population of sick and elderly inmates by granting inmates in criminal justice systems eligibility for immediate early release on grounds of compassionate release (“Dementia Behind Bars,” 2012). Public safety can be maintained by developing a thorough evaluation and deliberation process to ensure that the inmate's release would not pose a danger to individuals or society. Lastly, states can prevent budget strains and ensure inmates receive quality health care by revising and reforming mandatory sentencing policies introduced with the promise of deterring future offenders and consequently reducing crime (“Dementia Behind Bars,” 2012). States must continue to perform in-depth studies on the correlation between longer sentences and their