HMP Glenochil in Scotland houses a significant number of ageing sex offenders, and the prison governor has called for a new secure care home to cater to the needs of elderly prisoners. Natalie Beal, the governor of HMP Glenochil, said that with over 50 of the 730 inmates requiring personalised healthcare plans, the prison was not designed to meet the needs of an ageing population. It is becoming increasingly challenging for the prison to address the social care and medical requirements of prisoners in their 60s and 70s.
As the Scottish prison population ages, there are increasing numbers of prisoners requiring social care assistance such as bathing, dressing, and feeding. The older prisoners’ medical issues, including mobility problems, hip replacements, dementia, and neurological conditions, also need extra care and professional attention. The Scottish Prison Service funding for social care, which was £636,000 in 2018, skyrocketed to £2.1 million in 2022, demonstrating that additional resources are needed to address the problems faced by inmates.
The percentage of Scottish prisoners aged 50 years and over has more than doubled in the last decade, from 6.5% to 14.8% in 2022-23, according to the Howard League, which campaigns for prison reform. As a result, Ms Beal has suggested the creation of a secure care home solely for the elderly prison population. Following this, a spokesman for the Scottish government has expressed that the government has increased the Scottish Prison Service’s budget by up to 10% to solve the complex prison population problem.
Ms Beal further noted that, in order to cater to the medical and social needs of the ageing prisoners, a higher ratio of trained personnel for each prisoner would be necessary in a secure old people’s home. However, this would be quite costly, she added. Moreover, Ms. Beal is concerned about space as HMP Glenochil was not built with an ageing population in mind, and there are not enough accessible cells
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