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Welcome to the EuroPris Knowledge Management System. The table below shows questions and responses from European National Agencies. Select a question for more information or use the filters on the left to narrow down questions based on Agency or Category.
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Introduction: Nation Prison Service of Slovenia is looking for examples of good practice in Europe in the field of treatment of elderly persons in prison. The age of 65 is assumed to be the beginning of old age in Slovenian context. In the last years there was an increase in evidences of the needs of older people in prisons. We would be glad if you could give answers to the following questions about special facilities, health and social care adjustments for people over 65.
No special department due to the small number of elderly prisoners. Consideration is given to their individual physical and mental condition and specific needs.
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?Specially adapted physical and ergotherapeutic activities for elderly. No special regime of sentencing.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?Care programs are adapted to the individual needs. If necessary, educational, social and medical staff coordinate their activities.
No Note that there is a limited number of elderly inmates in Norwegian prisons. At the end of February 2016, there were 4055 inmates in Norwegian prisons. The average inmate was 36,8 years old. A total of 145 inmates were older than 60 years. 30 of these 145 inmates were older than 69 years old.
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?No There are no rules or regulations aimed specifically at elderly inmates. Age itself is no reason for for example early release / granting of pardon, but severe health problems may be.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?The Norwegian Correctional Service is organized after “the import model'. This means that prisons do not have their own staff delivering for example medical, clerical, educational, employment, social or library services. These services are imported from the local community. For example: Doctors who practice medicine in prisons are paid and hired by the local health authorities, not the correctional service. This means that it the health authority’s responsibility to ensure that elderly prisoners receive adequate care. The responsibility of the Correctional Service in providing these types of services is regulated through the Execution of Sentences Act § 4 (Administrative cooperation). It states that: "Correctional Services shall by engaging in cooperation with other public services arrange for convicted persons and persons in custody on remand to receive the services to which they are statutorily entitled. Such cooperation shall lead to a coordinated effort to supply the needs of convicted persons and persons in custody on remand and to assist them to adjust to society".
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Question 100516: Elderly Prisoners Because of the relatively low number of elderly inmates the Danish Prison and Probation Service do not consider it possible or suitable to establish special departments or units for elderly people inside our prison facilities. The number of elderly inmates have been constantly low the resent years. Fx were 2 % of the inmates on a day in 2014 60-69 years and 0,3 % were 70 years or more. The average daily average prison population in 2014 were 3.784.
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?Question 100516: Elderly Prisoners Nation Prison Service of Slovenia is looking for examples of good practice in Europe in the field of treatment of elderly persons in prison. The age of 65 is assumed to be the beginning of old age in Slovenian context. In the last years there was an increase in evidences of the needs of older people in prisons. We would be glad if you could give answers to the following questions about special facilities, health and social care adjustments for people over 65. The Prison and Probation Service do not have special programs for elderly people. We do however have a general practice where all convicted persons are evaluated before being placed in a prison. It is to be decided: - if the person in question shall be placed in a open or closed prison and in which part of the country - if there are any specific needs for special treatment or protection. When placed in a suitable prison, the elderly inmate have the exact same possibilities as any other inmate. - if an elderly convicted person is to ill or weak to go to prison it is possible to seek him placed in a prober institution outside the Prison and Probation Service, where he is to serve his sentence – fx a nursing home.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?All inmates have the right to medical treatment provided by doctors and nurses affiliated to the Prison and Probation Service.
We do not have any special departments/units for elderly prisoners. In some prisons there are departments for those who need extra assistance/support because of their health or disabilities or capacity to function. Elderly prisoners can be placed in these departments/units if they are individually assessed that they should be in such group. The number of elderly prisoners is small and that is why special departments or units only for them are not possible.
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?Activities in special departments for those who need extra support are adapted to the prisoners’ health and capacity to function; everyday activities are arranged in groups and it can be a few hours of working or participating in programs etc. These departments have slightly more staff than regular wards.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?There is no nursing staff working in these departments for those who need extra support. Members of the prison health care staff are professionals and trained to identify the needs of elderly people regardless of where they are placed in the prison. If prisoners need health care services outside the prison, they will receive it despite their age. Age is also taken into consideration when placing a prisoner in supervised probationary freedom outside the prison.
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The Swedish Prison and Probation Service (PPS) do not have any special departments or units for elderly people.
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?According to the Prisons Act is an inmate required to carry out or participate in the occupational activities that are assigned to him or her according. Although, according to the same act, an inmate who receives retirement pension does not have to participate in such activities. According to the Penal Code (chapter 29, section 5) shall the court at sentencing, in addition to the penal value, to a reasonable extent consider if the accused due to old age or poor health would suffer unreasonable hardship if he or she were to be sentenced in accordance with the penal value. This means that the court may decide on a shorter sentence than would have been the case if the person had been younger. However, this is decided before the person start to execute the court decision in prison and not decided by the PPS.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?There are no nursing personnel or services that work only with caring for old people. The (PPS) have nurses employed but their assignment is to help all inmates.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) does not have a specific prison, department or unit dedicated to working with older prisoners. The needs of people in our care who have specific needs due to disability, social care or health issues are met on a case by case basis dependent on individual need. Some of those in our custody with additional support needs are over 65, many are younger.
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?There are currently no specific estate wide programmes for people in the custody of the SPS who are over 65. Local regime adaptations are made on the basis of the needs of the resident population.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?The responsibility for provision of healthcare to prisoners in Scotland was transferred from the SPS to the National Health Service (NHS) in 2011. Personnel providing health care services to people in prison are employees of the local NHS Health Board, not the SPS. NHS Health Boards are responsible for providing healthcare services to the population of a defined geographical area. When an NHS Health Board has a prison located in its defined geographical area they are responsible for providing health services to all in custody in that prison. Where a prisoner (of any age) requires social care (support with activities of daily living like washing, dressing or using the toilet) that care is currently provided by agency workers paid for by the SPS. The provision of social care, adjustments to living spaces and specialist equipment is handled on a case by case basis dependent on individual need and establishment capability. Social Care is usually procured from private agencies through a national framework agreement - the Local Authority national framework arrangement for Social and Care Agency Workers (Social Care and Agency Workers Framework Arrangement (12-13
In the prison system in the Republic of Croatia formally there are no special Departments/units for the elderly. The elderly are placed in conditions that are Appropriate to their age and health. Example is Penitentiary Lepoglava which has a semi-open division Bitoševje in which are placed mostly elderly. Also in the closed part of the penal institutions are rooms adapted to the needs of older people.
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?Special programs for the elderly are not implemented, however, in the planning of individual program of imprisonment taking into account the specific needs of older persons.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?Officers treatment and Department of Insurance and the medical staff involved in the care of the elderly.
No
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?No
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?The staff of place of imprisonment take care of old people who are serving their sentence.
Only the Prison Center of Barcelona has a separate unit. In the other prison centers, if his health does not prioritize, will be distributed according to the profile and criminogenic needs of each one.
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?The Prison Center of Barcelona does have specific professionals taking care of the unit; the other centers should adapt their operation to the needs of the inmate.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?If they are not admitted to nursing for specific needs, the health personnel attending them is the same as for the rest of the population.
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No
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has identified older prisoners as a specific group of individuals who have particular needs within the prison population. IPS intends finalising an Older Prisoner Policy, which aims to provide specialist general and mental health services for older adults in prison which is comparable to that which is available in the community and which is appropriate to the prison setting, while ensuring a continuum of care. As part of the development and implementation of this policy, IPS aims to develop strong strategic links, with stability and community services critical to effective care provision for older persons in custody. Furthermore, IPS is examining the possibility of developing a facility for older prisoners, which would provide a more co-ordinated response to the our aging prison population and their attendant needs.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?Older prisoners have access to the range of healthcare services and personnel provided by IPS to the general prison population, i.e. full time nursing staff, services of a GP, psychiatric team, dental services, opticians, chiropody etc. Additional Health Care Assistants are engaged from an agency, as required and dependant on the needs of individual cases.
There are no separate sections specifically for elderly prisoners. Nursing facility is available on the vicinity of the Szeged Strict and Medium Regime Prison, in Unit III (Chronic post-operative Care Section). Permanent medical supervision is available here, primarily for convicted adult male prisoners. Younger convicts may also be housed here. The section has a national jurisdiction with a capacity of 80. The doors are open during the day.
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?The regime classification of the prisoners can be changed based on their behavior. Relevant regulations do not call for a separate regime category for elderly prisoners, but their collective housing is preferred in order to facilitate the achievement of reintegrational aims. Activities and vocational trainings are organized in a way that elderly prisoners could participate in them.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?The staff members in charge of nursing elderly prisoners are employed by the Hungarian Prison Service.
There are no adapted structures nor specialised units for detained elderly people. The Monaco prison is the only establishment for all the detainees cu with a sole regime.
Do you have any special programs for elderly people in your prisons and if you have any adaptations of their regime of sentencing?There is no special regime for elderly prisoners, nor accompanying penitentiary measures. The elderly prisoner will be treated the same way as the other detainees and will be submitted to the same interior regulation.
Who is the nursing personal or any services involve in caring for old people, if any? Do they belong to prison system or outside service?The medical staff is the same for the whole prison population: a chief medic, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a nurse and a dentist.