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Aging in Prison as a Collateral Consequence of Mass Incarceration

Novisky, Meghan A
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1470057807

Abstract Details

2016, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology.
The United States has been characterized by an era of mass incarceration since the 1970’s. With decades of research now in place, it is clear that in addition to the financial costs of housing so many men and women behind bars, incarceration carries with it a multitude of collateral consequences. These consequences are extensive and include the reproduction of racial and social class inequalities, weakened neighborhoods and families, and diminished social standing and health. One area that is particularly important yet underdeveloped in the literature involves understanding how incarceration is impacting a new and growing population of prisoners: the elderly. Older prisoners are now the fastest growing age group within our prison system and they are at risk for a variety of negative health outcomes, accelerated aging, and premature mortality. Given the dearth of empirical attention in the literature regarding this class of prisoners, the focus of my dissertation was to address what it means to age within environments (prisons) that are inherently depriving, status stripping, and coercive. To answer this question, I collected original quantitative and qualitative data from interviews with 279 older, incarcerated men who were housed across three varying security level state correctional institutions. These data allowed me to concentrate on three different but related components of aging for prisoners: overall health, chronic disease management, and end-of-life planning. Results show that deprivation was an important predictor of health outcomes and end-of-life planning preferences among this sample of older prisoners. Additionally, cultural health capital was central to prisoners’ abilities to manage their chronic health conditions, providing further evidence of the stratifying nature of the incarceration experience. This dissertation contributes to a growing body of research by highlighting the barriers of aging in prison are yet another collateral consequence of mass incarceration.
Clare Stacey (Committee Chair)
204 p.
Criminology; Gerontology; Sociology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Novisky, M. A. (2016). Aging in Prison as a Collateral Consequence of Mass Incarceration [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1470057807

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Novisky, Meghan. Aging in Prison as a Collateral Consequence of Mass Incarceration . 2016. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1470057807.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Novisky, Meghan. "Aging in Prison as a Collateral Consequence of Mass Incarceration ." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1470057807

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1470057807
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© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.