I was watching the news the other night and saw a story about an older man who couldn't afford his health bills so he went to a bank, stole $1 and then waited for the cops to get there to arrest him. His reasoning was if he was in jail then he could get the health care he needed because the jail is obligated to take care of him while he was there and robbing the bank, even though it was for only 1 dollar would keep him there for a while.
This got me thinking, what exactly does the jail do with the elderly inmates? When they are there for a life sentence, what happens when they develop dementia, or Alzheimer's? Are the jails equipped to take care of them? Do they keep them there? Do the prisoners even know what they are there for anymore? Do they understand that they are being punished?
I found an article about the elderly that are in jail and they presented some good points. The elderly inmates cost 3x more than a younger inmate. They get all of the health care that they need, paid for by the local tax payers. Some jails have added hospital type units to the jail that can take care of long term inmates with chronic illnesses. Some provide transportation to doctor appointments. Others hire a physician that will come to the jail and see the elderly inmates.
But with the elderly with dementia or Alzheimer's, is it fair to keep them in jail? If they are confused and disorientated, why keep them there? If they don't realize that they are there for punishment anymore, it's time to move them on. Either send them home to family or take them to a facility that is trained to take care of them. The jail is not the right place.
The article also states that the elderly population in the jail system has double between 1995 and 2003. Now that the baby boomer generation is reaching the elderly point, are there going to be more like the man on the news that don't have enough money for health care so they do stupid stuff to get put in prison for health care?
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