Elderly Inmates

Offender Population Chart

Category	Population on June 30, 2010
Elderly Population	16,386	100.0%
Gender
Male	15,476	94.4%
Female	910	5.6%
Race
White	8,901	54.3%
Black	6,955	42.4%
Other	530	3.3%
Current Age
50-55	9,203	57.3%
56-60	3,830	23.4%
61-65	1,890	11.5%
66-70	889	5.4%
71-75	351	2.1%
76+	223	1.4%
Prior Supervision Commitments
0	7,858	48.0%
1	2,654	16.2%
2	1,767	10.8%
3	1,350	8.2%
4+	2,757	16.5%

Type of Offense Chart

Type of Offense	Number	Percent
Murder, Manslaughter	3,387	20.7%
Sexual offenses	3,381	20.6%
Robbery	1,460	8.9%
Violent Personal offenses	1,519	9.3%
Burglary	1,733	10.6%
Theft/Forgery/Fraud	1,190	7.3%
Drug offenses	2,484	15.2%
Weapons	340	2.1%
Other	885	5.4%
Data Unavailable:7

Type of Offense

Background and Statistics - Elderly Offenders

• Section 944.02, F.S., defines elderly offenders as "prisoners age 50 or older in a state correctional institution or facility operated by the Department of Corrections."
• The number of elderly offenders in the state correctional system has increased steadily from 9,883 in FY0405 to 16,386 in FY0910, and is expected to continue to increase over the next decade.
• During FY0910, there were 3,448 elderly inmate admissions. The majority were admitted for drug offenses (28.6%), followed by property crimes (27.4%), and violent offenses (27.1%). The oldest male inmate admitted was 84; the oldest female admitted was 71.

Inmates Age 50 or Older on June 30, 2010 (Percent of Total Population)

Elderly Offenders and Health Care

• Older inmates generally have poorer health due to lack of health care prior to incarceration and personal habits such as smoking and drug abuse.
• In FY0910, elderly inmates were more likely to be a medical grade 2 (44.8%) or medical grade 3 (24.8%).
• In FY0910, 41.8% of the inmates who had multiple admissions to hospitals were elderly.
• In FY0910, elderly inmates accounted for 40.1% of all episodes of care and 47.9% of all hospital days although they only represented 16.0% of the total prison population.

Specialized Facilities and Services for Elderly Inmates

• The Department does not house inmates based solely on age, but rather allows them to "age in place" by integrating them into the general prison population.
  • Most of the department's 60+ major institutions house inmates age 50 and older.
  • By policy, all inmates (including those age 50 and older) who have limitations in the performance of Activities of Daily Living are assessed and diagnosed by a physician, provided with a service plan that is designed to meet their medical and mental health needs, and housed consistent with their custody level and medical status.
  • Inmates who are blind, deaf, require a walker or a wheelchair, or who have more specialized housing and/or service needs are assigned only to institutions designated for such custody and care.
• The following correctional facilities serve relatively large populations of elderly inmates:
  • Reception and Medical Center has a 100-bed licensed hospital on-site in Lake Butler, Florida, and also cares for chronically ill, elderly inmates in different dorms on
    campus.
  • The South Unit of the Central Florida Reception Center is specifically designed for inmate patients who palliative or complex medical care, many of whom are elderly.
  • Zephyrhills CI has two dorms specifically designed for inmate patients who need palliative or complex medical care, many of whom are elderly.
  • Lowell CI has a dorm specifically designated for female inmates with complex medical needs.
  • River Junction Work Camp is a work camp for elderly inmates who are in good health (no major medical issues), able to work, and are at a minimum/medium custody level.