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Articles

Vol. 62 (2021)

The theoretical and practical implications of the confinement of senior inmates in penitentiary institutions

  • Eliza Major
DOI
https://doi.org/10.19195/2084-5065.62.4
Submitted
3 August 2022
Published
03-08-2022

Abstract

The number of elderly people in Polish society has been growing from year to year. Along with it, the population of people over 60 sentenced to imprisonment is also on the rise. At the same time, there are no statutory regulations in the Polish legal system that would apply to the conditions and rules of serving a sentence by people of senior age. The situation of elderly inmates in Polish prisons should be considered from the perspective of issues such as living conditions in penitentiary units, proper healthcare and nutrition. The process of aging of the society and the related increase in the number of elderly people in Polish prisons will certainly require changes in the penitentiary policy and legal provisions in relation to this category of prisoners. The Prison Service is also facing the challenge of adjusting resocialising treatment to the capabilities of seniors. The inevitable and progressive biological, psychological, and social changes linked to aging justify the basis for developing a different way of executing a sentence on senior prisoners, taking into account the appropriate conditions for serving this sentence as well as the need to train the prison staff working with this category of convicts. The article is an attempt to draw attention to the problem outlined and to signal solutions which could bring the expected results.