Older Prisoners: A Human Rights Perspective

This researcher enhances understandings about the psychological and surrounding circumstances, contributing towards older prisoners' treatment by others. Participants completed a questionnaire, interviews, and mention that older prisoners, and themselves as professionals, could be at risk of harm. This is linked to such conditions as budget constraints and other prison conditions. In this hermeneutic phenomenological study this researcher focuses on the treatment of older prisoners and their human rights. Older prisoners may be defined thus, those who are 50 years or older. In this study this researcher explores human rights issues as understood by correctional professionals (prison officers, parole officers and Board members, psychologists, social workers, the clergy, and counsellors). These rights may be linked, for example, to older prisoners' safety, dignity, education, privacy, and well-being. Safety can be an issue for older prisoners who seek to resist bullying or violence by younger prisoners. This researcher also centers in this study on older prisoners' needs and contexts from a human rights perspective.

Jen Geary was awarded her PhD. Later she was to receive her LLB and her MA (Psychology) degrees. In 2009 Jen was the recipient of the New South Wales Bar Association Human Rights Prize. In her thesis work for her MA she liaised with governments and professionals across six countries. Jen has an interdisciplinary background and an eclectic practice.