Health and ageing of Australia's prisoners 2018
Publication
Release Date:
Topic: People in prison
Citation
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2020) Health and ageing of Australia's prisoners 2018, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 29 June 2026.
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Older prisoners in Australia are a growing part of Australia’s prison population—since 2009, those aged 45 and over increased by 79%. This report explores the social, economic and lifestyle factors that could impact on older people’s health in prison. Older people in prison were more likely to have a chronic health condition, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and be prescribed medications for these conditions compared to younger people.
- ISBN: 978-1-76054-693-9
- Cat. no: PHE 269
- Pages: 16
Findings from this report:
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Older prison entrants were 1.6 times as likely as younger prison entrants to drink alcohol 4 or more times per week
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Younger prison entrants were 1.6 times as likely as older prison entrants to recently have used illicit substances
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Older prison entrants were 1.7 times as likely as younger prison entrants to have a chronic physical health condition
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Around 2 in 5 older prisoners and 1 in 10 younger prisoners received blood pressure medications