Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Nigel Newcomen CBE, delivered one of this year’s Perrie Lectures on 12th June at Newbold Revel Prison Service College. The Lectures take place annually, with the purpose of stimulating dialogue between criminal justice organisations, the voluntary sector and all those with an academic, legal or practical interest in offenders and their families. The theme of this year’s Lectures was “Older Prisoners”.
The Ombudsman examined the treatment of older prisoners through his investigations into fatal incidents in custody. He argued that “one of the most important tests of the humanity of a prison system is the way it manages the most vulnerable in its care.”
Mr Newcomen went on to discuss some of the public policy implications arising from the fact that, although still a relatively small proportion of the whole, those aged over 60 are now the fastest growing segment of the prison population.