Why is housing elderly inmates a challenge?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Elderly offenders require substantial medical attention. The provision of this medical attention is very expensive and impairs many state prison systems around the nation. The cost of incarcerating an inmate who is 60 years of age or older is around $70,000 a year--roughly three times the cost for the average inmate. These inmates require specialized housing facilities, special programming, and sometimes even hospice and/or palliative care. Furthermore, prison agencies must remain compliant with standards set by the ADA. All of these various requirements create a serious price tag for prisons, and since the population continues to age, it is likely that these expenses will continue to climb. How states and the federal government will afford these costs is a question often on the mind of many prison wardens and correctional administrators, particularly during times of economic challenge. The answer has yet to emerge, and this represents yet another challenge facing correctional agencies of the modern era.