Island locking up fewer over-50s than the UK
GUERNSEY has been incarcerating fewer older prisoners than the UK, the acting prisoner governor has said.
The information came to light after the Guernsey Press queried how the island was adapting to possibly having older prisoners as demographics change and the population ages.
Acting prison governor John De Carteret said they took care when looking after all prisoners.
‘Guernsey Prison conducts a thorough risk assessment of all prisoners who come into custody,’ he said.
‘In recent years around 8% of inmates have been aged 55 and over – which is what Guernsey Prison considers to be an older prisoner.’
The issue has been hitting UK headlines, where 16% of the 82,710 prisoners in June were over 50. The Prison Officers’ Association highlighted the issue in the UK as there were concerns that prison officers were having to act as carers.
Mr De Carteret said they adapted their programme for older islanders.
‘The health care team conduct their own assessment for all new prisoners and highlight any particular adjustments they foresee required,’ he said.
‘Typically for older prisoners, these are a slightly different exercise programme, with specific equipment which can be sourced for people with physical limitations.
‘The prison has a number of facilities that can be used to cope with older prisoners in terms of physical aids to deal with mobility issues – such as ramps and lifts.’
As of this week, 13 of the 80 prisoners currently held at Les Nicolles are over 55 – or 16%. Of these seven are over-65.
Mr De Carteret said they could adapt cells for older inmates if they needed to.
‘We have access to specialised health care in terms of occupational therapy assessments, which can also be used to assist in the formulation of custody plans tailored to any person, not just older prisoners, who has specific challenges in a custodial environment,’ he said.
‘Any changes put in place are to ensure the safety of people who are under our care for the duration of their sentence.’
