Inside ageing : a critical review of health and wellbeing as experienced by older men held in custody in Northern Ireland

This research was undertaken as part of a Doctoral degree undertaken at the Queen’s University Belfast. This research explored the health and wellbeing needs of older men held in custody in Northern Ireland. The study also explored how these needs were met in prison and the older men’s experiences and perceptions of health improvement in prison. The study included both older prisoners as participants as well as a sample of staff from key stakeholder organisations. The research found that older men in prison experience similar incidence of poor health than those living in the community and in some instances worse health. Furthermore older people in prison experience distinct pains whilst being in prison relating to both the immediate custodial environment and through virtue of their healthcare usage. These findings suggest the need for policy makers to consider how care is delivered to an increasing population of older people held in prison.