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The Importance Of Caring For Elderly People In Prison

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Imagine living a rough life and before reality sets in and you can become a better citizen, you find yourself incarcerated for life. Many individuals serving time are living longer, way beyond the punishment established for their crime. According to Metla, 2015, some inmates may have been given harsher sentences due to programs like “three strikes” you are out (section titled, Why are so many elderly people in prison? para. 2). These individuals may have committed a minor crime but due to the number of offenses they have committed and served time, the third offense makes them lifers in the penal system. According to Habes, 2011, who provided an example of an individual who had 2 prisons stays for serious crimes. He committed a third crime, …show more content…
It was noted that older inmate’s chances of becoming a reoffender is nearly 1/10th of that of other convicts (Dwyer, 2014, para 6). These individuals may have Alzheimer, dementia, or other mind altering diseases, which could cause their care to sky rocket. They have served their time, yet releasing them to society is not an option, as it would be in comparison to releasing a kindergarten in a high school environment—the child would be lost. Caring for inmates who have aged and no longer can use the facilities, toilets, showers, is so costly. There is the additional cost of staffing the facility with individuals who possess a medical background, which is needed to attend to older inmates. The same way the United States prison system was evaluated and determined not feasible to house children in an adult facility, individuals (society) should review and research the need to house senior-ailing inmates in different …show more content…
There is an option of releasing these prisons under compassionate or medical parole programs. Individuals are living longer and federal and state governments should start to consider this option, with restrictions, for inmates who are classified as no longer a threat to society, who are terminal ill (Habes, 2011, section Releasing elderly inmates, para 1). Elderly inmates can be released to family, nursing homes, assisted living places, which will be better equipped for long-term care of these inmates (Habes, 2011, section What will happened to elderly prisoners after release). According to Filinson, 2014, use of compassionate release is minimal because our society does not welcome offenders (section titled Conclusion, page

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