The lived experience of older male prisoners in Malta

Abstract

The global population of older prisoners is soaring steadily. The numbers of older prisoners (OPs) are projected to continue rising, mainly due to demographic changes in populations at large as well as severe sentencing practices. The situation in Malta is no exception. The increased visibility of Ops has led to considerable attention from international academia; however, experiential evidence on old age in prison remains an understudied topic. In comparison, Ops in Malta have received an even less academic gaze; hence little is known about ageing in the local criminal justice system. This research aimed to fill this lacuna by exploring the lived experience of older male prisoners in Malta. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach was used to analyse data obtained from six semi-structured interviews carried out at Corradino Correctional Facility (CCF). The analysis of the data yielded four general themes: “The psycho-emotional impact of imprisonment”, “the effects of the prison regime on older prisoners”, “the significance of the environment on the OPs’ sense of wellbeing” and “surviving prison life as an older person”. Findings suggested that the experience of old age in prison was individualized and unique as various divergences were evident among participants. However, a more generic outlook revealed that imprisonment brought various psycho-emotional sufferings to Ops stemming from the losses imposed by imprisonment and uncertainties about the future. A lack of adequate regimes and environment exacerbated these pains, which intensified the Ops’ bio-functional age. In addition, despite the OPs’ characterizations of a depriving environment, they demonstrated their resilience in drawing on various coping strategies to make their unbearable situations more bearable. These findings aided in creating a picture of the unique experiences in a group of older persons within the unique context of prison. Numerous recommendations to policymakers and prison authorities were provided to improve the experiences of OPs during incarceration and, most importantly, to achieve better rehabilitative outcomes for this cohort of prisoners.