Is Belmarsh High Security Prison suitable for the elderly?

The threatened influx of old people into the high security prison in His Majesty’s Prison Belmarsh in East London is forcing the prisoner services to rethink staffing arrangements.

With over 1,000, mostly elderly, people facing terrorism charges with prison terms of up to 14 years for showing support for Palestine Action, the already understaffed prison will require new arrangements for older people’s health needs.

Health needs of the elderly in prison

The health needs of older people are far greater than the rest of the population due to increased complexity of conditions, greater frequency of use of services, and higher risks of deterioration.

Older people frequently attend hospital for many conditions that are more common in the elderly. Go into any specialist hospital and you will see the waiting room dominated by old people. Belmarsh is concerned about the extra staff that will have to employed for transport duty.

Hospitals are having to rethink the outpatient departments to accommodate prison guards needed to accompany all the people convicted of a terrorist offence. “It is going to be a right headache” said one hospital administrator who does not want to be named.

The famous Moorfields Eye Hospital in London says there is just not enough room for prison guards. The Chief Executive is reported as saying many old people would be deterred from coming for their regular check-ups if they see the waiting room full of prison guards. One staff nurse said she would refuse to see old people in cuffs and demand that they be removed. This will be a challenge for the prison guards who normally insist the terrorists are restrained at all times. Age-UK has been approached to provide volunteers to help with the elderly prisoners in hospital, but they too said they would not be able to help with patients in cuffs.

The hospital in Belmarsh high security prison is already struggling to cope with the needs of the current inmates. Most of the places in the hospital are used by prisoners with psychiatric problems. A prison governor who does not want to be named said that they will need to build a new geriatric wing In the hospital and employ new staff to care for older people. “People with dementia normally do not cause concern but terrorists with dementia – that’s a whole new problem“ she said.

One healthcare official from Wales said it might be easier to build an outpatient department at Belmarsh Prison avoiding the need to double the numbers of prison wardens on transport duty to hospitals.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich is the nearest to Belmarsh high security prison but already they are overworked and do not have the capacity to cope with an influx of the elderly. One health official at the hospital who does not want to be named said “we love old people but we’ve already got too many”. “Just taking them to the loo is a right job,” said another.

While there is little opportunity for walking in Belmarsh prison, nails just keep growing. The prison is considering a separate podiatry clinic at the rear of the prison, but there is some concern about being too close to the wall. The risk of elderly terrorists escaping is considered less said one prison official, “but then again dementia could be a problem”. “It’s dementia, not Spider Man” said another. “There’s no way they’re getting over 20 feet”.

The gym staff at the high security prison have a partnership with Charlton Athletic F.C. to deliver FA accredited coaching courses for prisoners but the take-up amongst the new influx is not expected to be great. However, the prison is considering introducing Tai Chi classes which be of special value to the elderly.

One lawyer representing old people facing a prison sentence for terrorism said the judges will be under pressure to give more lenient sentences to older people. The difficulty they face is that most people arrested in the Lift the Ban campaign were old and if deterrence is to work it is thought some will have to go to prison. A spokesperson for Hodge Jones Allen, the law firm representing most of those on terrorist charges relating to the Lift the Ban campaign, said they will be arguing for non-custodial sentences for the over 80’s.

Age Concern did not want to comment on the likely influx of the elderly to the high security prison. The organisation is concerned that they too might be implicated in the recent crackdown on terrorism amongst the elderly.

The Home Office is worried about the expected increased needs of the elderly in the UK high security prison and have been in discussions with prison governors around the country about accepting elderly terrorists In their prisons. Apparently, this is being strenuously resisted, less on security grounds but more with the general needs of older people which could overwhelm an already stretched prison staffing.  One prison governor, who herself struggles to care for her mother at home, said she “does not have the staff for even one elderly terrorist”.

Rope ladders, traditionally used for climbing prison walls are unlikely to be much use to the new inmates. However, they might be of help getting them get out of bed in the morning.

Added to that, there are also security concerns about Zimmer frames but a lawyer for one of the new terrorists is planning a special appeal to make exceptions for walking aids, which is thought likely to be successful as the high security prison does not have the staff to support inmates for their biweekly visit to the exercise yard, around the yard, and the return to their cells.

With gross overcrowding expected in Belmarsh, the prison management will have to decide the mix of inmates. The range of offences by those currently incarcerated is Belmarsh is not known. The armed robber Ronnie Field was the first person to be held in Belmarsh’s High Security Unit, shortly followed by those convicted of the £10 million Heathrow airport diamond heist.

Accommodation at the prison is a mixture of approximately 60% multi-occupancy cells and 40% single cells. Doubling or tripling of the inmates in each cell could expose the elderly inmate to skills, such as locksmith, drug manufacture and firearms, with unknow consequence for society. But with the ban on electronic items In Belmarsh, older people may struggle with the loss of their hearing aids which may limit their interaction with inmates with these unique skills.

When pressed the governor at Belmarsh has admitted he has given little though to building a mortuary to hold deceased high security prisoners, prior to being transferred to Plumstead Cemetery nearby.