OTTAWA — The federal prison ombudsman warns that Canada’s inmates are growing old in institutions ill-equipped to meet their changing needs.
Nearly one in five inmates is 50 or older, a reflection of an aging society and the fact more prisoners are entering custody later in their adult life than ever before.
The population of greying offenders has increased by 50 per cent over the past decade, says correctional investigator Howard Sapers.
Upon tabling his annual report Tuesday, Sapers told a news conference the numbers are much harder to ignore than in the past.
Penitentiaries were not designed to assist prisoners with physical disabilities or those in need of palliative care. Older inmates have higher rates of both mild and serious health conditions. Some are more prone to being bullied, Sapers added.
“As prisons become more crowded, there are significant concerns associated with mixing a vulnerable older inmate with younger, more aggressive individuals.”
Sapers recently met with a group of aging offenders at a medium-security institution in Ontario.
“They told me that they live in fear for their physical safety. Intimidation and muscling are pervasive concerns amongst older offenders. I heard instances of physically challenged offenders being bullied to the top bunk by cellmates,” he said.
Others reported having to give up meals or their prescription medications. “Few of these concerns are ever reported to staff.”
Sapers said while the Correctional Service of Canada does not tolerate such behaviour, employees are not always there to see incidents, and many older prisoners simply don’t want to rock the boat.
“It’s particularly difficult if you’re already feeling vulnerable.”
Correctional programming and vocational training may have little relevance for older inmates, says the annual report. “Many aging offenders simply elect to spend long periods of time locked in their cells during working or programming hours. This is not rehabilitative or productive for anyone.”
Sapers underscored the fact prisons are already operating at or above capacity and will only become more crowded, since new federal laws imposing stiffer sentences “will result in more people spending longer in custody.”
The federal government plans to spend $2 billion over five years to add 2,700 beds to men’s and women’s prisons to accommodate the prisoner influx and replace rusting facilities. But Sapers anticipates more crowding in the short term.
“It’ll take years for those cells to come onstream.”
Sapers’ office has asked the Correctional Service to think about building features such as wheelchair ramps, wide aisles and more accessible bathrooms into the new prison ranges.
He also recommends the prison service hire more staff with training in palliative care and gerontology, introduce sensitivity and awareness training, and develop a more appropriate range of programming and activities for older offenders, including exercise regimes.
The service may eventually have to look at creating specialized geriatric units, Sapers added.
The ombudsman’s report also noted the increasing demands for mental health services in prison continue to pose significant challenges.