Older prisoners set to sue because they can’t climb into top bunks
PRISON chiefs face being sued by growing numbers of elderly inmates over ‘degrading’ treatment.
The jails watchdog is calling for changes such as wider cell doors to allow wheelchair-bound convicts to get around more easily.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland David Strang also wants jails to set up more social clubs to combat isolation among criminals aged over 60.
Some older prisoners said they had to sleep in top bunks despite difficulties climbing onto them.
In a report on older inmates published today, Mr Strang says: ‘In an era where there seems to be litigious action taken by prisoners more readily, there is certainly the possibility of challenge from the ageing population over their care.’
The report suggests ‘specialist provision’ for older prisoners could be created in certain locations, with dedicated teams of staff trained in how to look after criminals suffering from dementia and other age-related conditions.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) estimates there are 280 prisoners over 60 in Scotland – an increase of a fifth in a year. The total number of prisoners is 7,500. Some prisoners said younger inmates could be hostile, particularly as many older inmates are sex offenders.
One prisoner told inspectors: ‘I’d prefer to be with a mix of people, but some of the younger guys you know to stay away from. If I did get any hassle, I’d hit them with my stick.’
The report – Who Cares?: The Lived Experience of Older Prisoners in Scotland’s Prisons – says: ‘Many convicts told us of their sense of loneliness and desire for companionship. Clearly, staff are not there to befriend prisoners. Yet without caring staff, some elderly prisoners would have no one who cares about them at all.’
The report also says it ‘cannot be appropriate to locate anyone in their seventies on a top bunk’.
In another example of poor treatment highlighted in the report, an elderly prisoner had to use a wheelchair to get around, ‘yet the wheelchair did not fit through the cell door’. The report says: ‘He told us that he has to get himself out of the chair, collapse the chair, drag it into the cell, open it up again and get back into it.’
But one member of prison staff said: ‘Some of these old guys have committed horrific crimes. They’re not in here for stealing motors.’
The report concludes: ‘The degrading treatment of some older prisoners cannot be allowed to continue. Older prisoners are too often isolated and receive inadequate healthcare. There is an urgent need for change.’
But Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘Many will be appalled to hear elderly prisoners could be suing our prison service for apparently minor reasons.
‘While we need to ensure we don’t degrade prisoners, many will question why they are receiving benefits, on taxpayers’ money, many outside of prison don’t.’
An SPS spokesman said: ‘As the report acknowledges, the SPS cannot respond to the challenges of managing the increasing elderly population alone. We look forward to working with our partners to ensure we provide the best possible care and support for older people in custody.’