Older adults’ lived experience of incarceration

Abstract

This qualitative analysis explores older adults’ lived experiences of incarceration. As part of a larger mixed-methods longitudinal study, 23 older adults were interviewed about their prison and reentry experiences. Findings describe experiences of loss, lack of medical attention, abuse by staff and other inmates, and the uncertainties and danger of prison life. After release, participants reported experiencing anxiety and stress related to their prison experiences. While participants reported that the ability to manage prison life deteriorated with age, some benefits of their senior status were also described. Maturity may allow older prisoners to remove themselves from volatile situations. Participants described experiences of rest and recovery, reflecting coping mechanism and resilience that could improve psychosocial outcomes during and after prison. This descriptive analysis centers the voices of older prisoners and informs interventions to support this vulnerable community.

Keywords:

• Prison
• older people
• qualitative
• incarceration
• reentry

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the study participants for their time and contribution to this project and the Connecticut Department of Correction and Connecticut Court Support Services Division for their support in implementing the project. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, the Connecticut Department of Corrections, and the Connecticut Court Support Services Division did not play a role in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of project funders or partners.

Additional information

Funding

The project described was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse Award Number 5R01DA025021-05 and 1R01DA025021-01A1 (Kim M. Blankenship, PhD, Principal Investigator) Additional support was received from the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (National Institute of Mental Health Grant No. P30MH062294, Paul D. Cleary, PhD, Principal Investigator) and the Center on Health, Risk and Society at American University, and The Lifespan/Brown Criminal Justice Research Program on Substance Use and HIV (National Institute of Drug Abuse Award No. R25DA037190).