Aging and Dying in Prison

In so far as older individuals in federal custody are concerned, this joint investigation by the Office of the Correctional Investigator (the Office) and the Canadian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) finds a general failure on the part of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) to meet the fundamental purposes of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA): safe and humane custody [...] The conditions of confinement of older individuals in federal custody are lacking in terms of personal safety and dignity, and the prospect of these individuals returning to the community is often neglected and overlooked, all of which jeopardizes the protection of their human rights. [...] Scope of the Investigation The Office and the Commission together launched this investigation to give a ‘voice’ to older individuals in federal custody, some of whom have spent the greater part of their lives locked up. [...] The benefit of this partnership was the ability to assess the conditions of confinement, physical environment and experience of older persons in federal penitentiaries from a human rights and human dignity perspective. [...] Given the adverse life experiences of many offenders and the negative impacts of prison on health, there is a need to understand the significance of age differently in this subpopulation of offenders and this must inform CSC’s human rights obligations.