Invisible Men: Unlocking Compassion and Understanding the Needs of Older Men Behind Bars
Men over 50 years of age are the fastest-growing population group in the prison system, leading to the prison service of England and Wales now becoming recognised as the largest provider of residential care for older men. Roughly one in five prisoners (18%) is over 50 years of age. This paper focuse...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/21 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832587504186818560 |
|---|---|
| author | Louise Ridley Kathryn E. Waldegrave |
| author_facet | Louise Ridley Kathryn E. Waldegrave |
| author_sort | Louise Ridley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Men over 50 years of age are the fastest-growing population group in the prison system, leading to the prison service of England and Wales now becoming recognised as the largest provider of residential care for older men. Roughly one in five prisoners (18%) is over 50 years of age. This paper focuses on the impact on both staff and prisoners of developing an understanding of the needs and concerns of older prisoners during prison officer training. The authors approach the study of the older prison population from their respective disciplines—criminology and health. Both authors are aware of the necessity for custodial staff to be prepared and equipped to respond and manage a growing number of individuals who are vulnerable and appreciate the need for prison staff to be supported in this process, with an understanding of the complexities that come with housing large numbers of ageing men within a custodial setting. This article explores the provision of training for newly recruited prison officers and considers what good practice might look like. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7e89bc02f2544c66af5ed60b6730703f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-7e89bc02f2544c66af5ed60b6730703f2025-01-24T13:49:41ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602025-01-011412110.3390/socsci14010021Invisible Men: Unlocking Compassion and Understanding the Needs of Older Men Behind BarsLouise Ridley0Kathryn E. Waldegrave1The Department of Social Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UKSchool of Health, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS1 3HE, UKMen over 50 years of age are the fastest-growing population group in the prison system, leading to the prison service of England and Wales now becoming recognised as the largest provider of residential care for older men. Roughly one in five prisoners (18%) is over 50 years of age. This paper focuses on the impact on both staff and prisoners of developing an understanding of the needs and concerns of older prisoners during prison officer training. The authors approach the study of the older prison population from their respective disciplines—criminology and health. Both authors are aware of the necessity for custodial staff to be prepared and equipped to respond and manage a growing number of individuals who are vulnerable and appreciate the need for prison staff to be supported in this process, with an understanding of the complexities that come with housing large numbers of ageing men within a custodial setting. This article explores the provision of training for newly recruited prison officers and considers what good practice might look like.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/21older prisonershealthpolicypracticetrainee prison officers |
| spellingShingle | Louise Ridley Kathryn E. Waldegrave Invisible Men: Unlocking Compassion and Understanding the Needs of Older Men Behind Bars Social Sciences older prisoners health policy practice trainee prison officers |
| title | Invisible Men: Unlocking Compassion and Understanding the Needs of Older Men Behind Bars |
| title_full | Invisible Men: Unlocking Compassion and Understanding the Needs of Older Men Behind Bars |
| title_fullStr | Invisible Men: Unlocking Compassion and Understanding the Needs of Older Men Behind Bars |
| title_full_unstemmed | Invisible Men: Unlocking Compassion and Understanding the Needs of Older Men Behind Bars |
| title_short | Invisible Men: Unlocking Compassion and Understanding the Needs of Older Men Behind Bars |
| title_sort | invisible men unlocking compassion and understanding the needs of older men behind bars |
| topic | older prisoners health policy practice trainee prison officers |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/21 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT louiseridley invisiblemenunlockingcompassionandunderstandingtheneedsofoldermenbehindbars AT kathrynewaldegrave invisiblemenunlockingcompassionandunderstandingtheneedsofoldermenbehindbars |