Prisoners are getting older, and older people often need more expensive healthcare. In Utah, the number of elderly people in prison rose 67% in the last six years. Medical care for people over fifty-five is sixteen times as expensive as medical care for younger people. In dollars, that means treatment for elderly people costs between $2,000 and $12,000 per person. Medical costs per person for younger prisoners are $400 to $600.

Along with more costs comes a lack of space for treatment. Prison infirmaries are becoming places where people are housed for chronic illnesses rather than a place to care for more short-term problems such as injuries or recovery from surgery. Two options mentioned by state officials for dealing with a sick and aging prison population include paroling chronically ill people and/or building “geriatric prisons.”

This news brief is based on a story from the Salt Lake Tribune “Aging Inmates Pinch Prison’s Health Budget [1].” If this link is broken, please check their archive.