Aging & Social Change: Eleventh Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

This original and ground-breaking interdisciplinary paper brings together perspectives from gerontology, penology, and social policy to explore critically the nature and consequences of the lack of visibility of ex-prisoners within global research, policy and practice on age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC), at a time when increasing numbers of people are ageing in prison settings in many countries. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose challenges for older peoples’ wellbeing, and also within prison settings, and thus it is timely to reflect on the links between older people, prisons and cities, at a time of ongoing change and uncertainty. Just as there is an extensive body of ongoing research exploring age-friendly cities and communities, there is extensive published research on older people’s experiences of imprisonment, and a growing body of research on the needs and experiences of older people leaving custody. However, these two research and policy fields have evolved largely independently and separately, leading to a lack of visibility of ex-prisoners within AFCC research and policy and, similarly, the omission of consideration of the needs of ex-prisoners within the broader context of age-friendly cities and communities. Existing checklists and tools for assessing and measuring the age-friendliness of cities and communities may be of limited relevance in this context. This study identifies the potential for integration and for cross-disciplinary research in this context, concluding with recommendations for developing inclusive research, policies and evaluation frameworks which recognise and include older people as they leave prison and engage with cities and communities.