New commissioned report calls for national strategy for older prisoners as numbers reach record high
A major , in partnership with , is calling for an urgent national strategy to support the rapidly expanding population of older prisoners in England and Wales. With people aged 50 and over now representing 24% of the prison population according to the most recent report of the Chief Medical Officer (), and four times as many people over 60 in custody compared with 2002, the report highlights the vital need for age-responsive practice across the prison estate.
These findings come as growing evidence shows that older prisoners are often assigned unsuitable activities or excluded from them altogether, resulting in disengagement from the prison community and long periods spent in their cells. As sentencing patterns mean more people are ageing behind bars, the report emphasises that the structure and purpose of daily activities have become central to maintaining wellbeing, dignity, and a sense of meaning to the time spent in prison.
The report stresses that improved staff awareness and training with respect to older prisoners must underpin any system-wide response. With a greater understanding of age-related health conditions, mobility limitations, and psychosocial challenges, prison staff can play a crucial role in enabling access to what the report emphasises as 鈥榤eaningful鈥� activities. The report includes a practical toolkit designed to support officers and managers in adapting to the distinct needs of an ageing population.
Drawing on diaries, interviews, and ethnographic research with prisoners aged 50 and over across Category A, C, and D prisons, report co-authors, , , and , of the , The University of 91直播, explore what makes activities meaningful to older people in custody. The report sets out practical, evidence-based recommendations for prisons nationwide.
Across the study, participants highlighted that learning new skills and activities supporting autonomy would foster personal growth and a sense of control. Exercise, especially spaces dedicated to ages 50+, would benefit physical and emotional well-being. Being given responsibility through meaningful roles would add to a sense of value, and supportive peer conversations were seen to be crucial to countering isolation and maintaining community. Many participants also expressed concerns about reduced interaction with staff as a result of high turnover and increasing administrative pressures.
Our conversations with older people in prison made one thing unmistakably clear: meaningful activity is essential to their wellbeing and pathway towards release. Whether it鈥檚 learning something new, having a say in their daily lives, staying physically active, or simply connecting with others, these experiences give people purpose and dignity. The study shows that when prisons and those work there recognise and support these needs, older prisoners can thrive rather than disappear into the background.
Building on these findings, the report outlines recommendations across five core principles:
- Recognition: Develop regular forums for older prisoners to share insights, and create structured pathways, such as peer mentoring, skills banks, and volunteering programmes, allowing them to contribute to prison life in meaningful ways.
- Responsibility: Expand opportunities that build autonomy and purpose, including gardening schemes, animal-assisted programmes, self-catering initiatives, and facilitated group cooking sessions.
- Recreation: Reframe social and recreational engagement as essential to a healthy prison regime. This includes establishing designated age-friendly spaces, weekly clubs, shared memory activities, and carefully designed intergenerational events.
- Stimulation: Provide more opportunities that foster curiosity and dialogue, such as guest speaker events, prisoner-led seminars, and reading groups.
- 鈥淪taying in the Game鈥�: Equip older prisoners to remain connected to the modern world through IT literacy training, budgeting workshops, and tailored exercise programmes that promote long-term wellbeing.
These findings make clear that meaningful activity is not a luxury for older prisoners; it is a lifeline and something essential for reintegration and resocialisation upon release. By embedding recognition, responsibility, recreation, stimulation, and connection at the heart of prison regimes and interactions, the system can ensure that growing old in custody does not mean growing invisible. These changes are essential because they offer not just a novel perspective on old age, that is not just linked to health and vulnerabilities, but also gives emphasis to the importance of nourishing those features which are so essential to reintegration into society, thus building continuity rather than rupture between the time spent in prison and release.
This study is part of funded by the .
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