Researchers at the Kent School of Social Work are conducting interviews with older male inmates in Kentucky prisons as part of a study aimed to see what effects being an older inmate has on mental and medical health.
鈥淢entally, emotionally, it is so stressful. It鈥檚 unreal,鈥 said 58-year-old inmate Anthony Trotter. 鈥淚 was just here two years ago and the difference in two years is astronomical to me.鈥
Despite reform efforts, Kentucky鈥檚 inmate population is rising, along with the average inmate age. They are getting treated for problems that may be more expensive and tougher to address on the outside. Looking at older inmates鈥 medical and mental health issues, when they are released and what their circumstances are for returning to prison is helping determine if they are actually a danger to the community.
鈥淭he better their health is on the way out, along with sustainability in the community, the more likely they will be healthy over time, so that can also contribute to reduced costs,鈥 said Stephanie Prost, an assistant professor at the Kent School of Social Work.
Prost鈥檚 research is being done in connection with the Kentucky Department of Corrections.
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