The Pains of Being an Older Prisoner: Healthcare, Social Care and Dying in Custody

The ageing prisoner population in England and Wales presents a significant and growing challenge for both criminal justice and social policy. Despite increasing recognition of the complex health and social care needs of this cohort, these needs have not been adequately addressed by successive governments. This conceptual paper critically analyses the broader structural, policy, and practice-based limitations associated with the provision of health and social care for older prisoners through a Sykesian (1958) pain model, as well as through Crewe’s (2011) analytical framework of weight, depth, tightness and breadth. It does this through consideration of three main pains of being an older prisoner—those related to healthcare, social care and death.