Jail time decreases lifespan in the elderly
Going to jail can take years off of your life. First you lose the time served while locked up, but with that also comes a shortened life expectancy.
Aging Faster in Jail
It is no secret that jail can be a very stressful experience. Even just a day in jail can have lasting effects on a person’s life or career, along with a number of poor health consequences. And those with a history of incarceration are consistently found to have higher rates of chronic or infectious diseases.
This is increasingly important as the proportion of elderly individuals (55 years or age or older) in jail or prison continues to increase. There are now 5-times more elderly inmates than there were just 30-years ago. And by the year 2030, it is expected that 30% of the incarcerated population will be elderly.
Research shows that for every year spent incarcerated, there is a 2-year reduction in life expectancy.
Higher Rates of Illness
It isn’t just life expectancy that declines, but morbidity also increases in elderly inmate populations. The cumulative stress, and effects of incarceration, affect the overall health profile of incarcerated elderly adults. Their health status more closely mirrors the health of non-incarcerated individuals who are about 15-years older.
Morbidity: The state of being unwell or the rate of illness in an individual.
This accelerated aging means older incarcerated adults can experience conditions earlier than expected in their life. Some examples include urinary incontinence, functional or mobility impairment and cognitive decline. One such example is mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which highlights these negative effects on the aging process.
A study found that while about 12-18% of the general population (60 years or older) has MCI, 78% of inmates tested positive for MCI. The accelerated aging from incarceration leads some to estimate that rates of dementia will double by 2030 and triple by 2050.
Chronic Conditions
Elderly inmates also report higher rates of mental health conditions and chronic diseases. Diseases such as diabetes, pulmonary disease and hypertension are all conditions that occur at higher rates in elderly inmates.With an average of three chronic medical conditions, elderly inmates also have a higher utilization of health care services.
Higher healthcare needs can also be from higher reported rates of disabilities in elderly inmates.
Research from 2016 shows that about 70% of elderly inmates report having a disability–nearly double that of the general population. A breakdown of the types of disabilities, and the percentage of inmates aged 55 0r older reporting these disabilities (across State and Federal Prisons) in 2016.
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- Any Disability: 50.5%-69.7%
- Hearing: 21.5%-28.9%
- Vision: 16.9%-24.0%
- Cognitive: 16.2%-26.8%
- Ambulatory: 25.2%-45.8%
- Self-Care: 6.5%-11.8%
- Independent Living: 11.8%-19.8%
- Any Disability: 50.5%-69.7%
Another area of concern for elderly inmates is serious mental health illness. While it is equally common across younger and older inmates, studies do show that elderly inmates are often underdiagnosed or undertreated for these conditions. Furthermore, most inmates already experience conditions such as PTSD, TBI or substance abuse. These conditions can contribute to, and/or affect cognitive impairment. With rates of cognitive impairment generally higher in the elderly prison population, this can lead to increased risk for victimization or poor judgment.
It is important to be aware of the extra health needs and physical challenges that elderly inmates may face while incarcerated. So if you or a loved one has experienced these types of challenges while in jail, consider reaching out to one of our experienced attorneys to see if we can help.
Allison Kunerth
Allison Kunerth