Thursday, January 03 2008
AGING IN PRISON
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McCain Correctional Hospital
Over the past 10 years, the number of inmates across the US who are over 50 years of age has skyrocketed. In North Carolina, where our radio program is produced, the number of elderly inmates has tripled to nearly 3,500. This accounts for nearly 10 percent of all prisoners.
Aging prisoners are an added cost for the system. As prisoners age, they get sicker. Many prisons now have a dual role - prison and nursing homes or hospital ward.
Dick Gordon traveled to McCain Correctional Hospital in Raeford, NC, to speak with several of the aging inmates.
The four men he interviewed have a variety of ideas about what should happen to them in "the system" as they age.
- Read about the men profiled in the story
- Find out more about the McCain Correctional Hospital website