Care homes with bars - coping with an ageing prison population

In one of Scotland's largest prisons a unique experiment is taking place in an area called The Basement.

Aside from having lost their liberty through crime, the inmates who gather there for meetings at HMP Edinburgh all have something in common. They are getting old.

Some of them are displaying symptoms of dementia, while others are simply using the facility because it offers the company of men from a similar generation.

For the prison staff who run the meetings, they offer an alternative way of looking after prisoners with needs such as frailty or social isolation that are hard to meet within a prison setting.

HMP Edinburgh is currently looking after 934 inmates - more than 60 more than it was designed for. Sixty five of them are aged 65 or over.

The logistics of accommodating them is more complex that the numbers alone.

A growing number of inmates are being jailed for sex offences or involvement in organised crime which often means they are getting longer sentences, therefore ageing in prison, or they are older when they go into jail.

During an exclusive visit to the prison, the BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast programme was told the special dementia area was set up in conjunction with Meeting Centres Scotland - a charity which supports people living with dementia.

The Basement, named by the inmates, is an area that is a bit more relaxed than the main prison with home comforts such as couches. Carers who work in the prison are also on hand.

Kerry McMenemy, a first line manager with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), said that with the rising numbers of older inmates coming in, the managers noticed that there was a gap in what was being offered.

"We take the guys down there and try to make it more like care home vibes," she said.

"We'll do activities with them down there and have games and music. We also get people that come in and do things with them.

"A lot of the older population go into themselves and don't come out of their cells much so we're trying to make a safe space for them to relax."

She said prisoners were often the first to notice symptoms of dementia in fellow inmates. Other prisoners have already been diagnosed before they go into prison.

"A lot of them are very confused," McMenemy said. "We just try to make it as normal for them as we can and we're hoping that the meeting centre we've built will help with that.

"It's about getting them out and not staying in their cells all the time as that could make it worse."

The Basement is also used by elderly people who do not leave their cells much.

A lot of the inmates have made friends in The Basement after coming from different areas of the prison.

"It's just trying to build a wee community within the prison as well as helping them come out their shells," McMenemy said.

The prison hopes that the same set-up can be replicated in other Scottish prisons.

"It's hard enough being in prison - the punishment is being in prison - but I think the older population do deserve to be treated the same way as we would treat our own families outside," McMenemy added.

"For people with dementia, especially, if they're waking up and not knowing where they are, I think everybody deserves to be treated with respect at that age.

"Its been very positive so far and we're getting a lot of good feedback from the guys and a lot more people wanting to come down and join in."

HMP Edinburgh data, provided by SPS, shows that:

• Twenty four prisoners are currently supported by carers at HMP Edinburgh due to frailty from age
• Sixty five inmates in Edinburgh are aged 65 or over
• Social care costs for the entire SPS estate have risen from £2,877,000 in 24/25, to £2,950,000 in 25/26
• A total of 8,535 people are in custody across the whole of Scotland - 934 at HMP Edinburgh.
• The average cost per prisoner place for 2025/26 is £55,091.

Governor Scott Watson told BBC Scotland: "We have a large number of elderly and infirm prisoners which means we have an increased number who need to go to hospital for acute medical reasons but, more importantly, every week we are having to try to determine who can go in the most accessible cells."

He said the logistics of who can go on to a top bunk, for instance, had to be considered.

"It's not such an issue for individuals in their 30s, for example, but two guys in their 60s means one of them is having to climb up onto the top bunk," he said.

Watson said carers worked in the prison 24 hours a day to help older inmates with everyday functions such as washing and dressing.

"There's wheelchairs and Zimmer frames and some individuals with Alzheimer's who are really struggling to cope within the prison who just try to stay within their cell," he said.

"That's where they feel safe and there's a lot of work going on to try and encourage them to come out and be part of the prison community."

He said dangerous people "should absolutely be in prison" but he would argue that there were some elderly and infirm inmates whose risk could safely be managed in the community.

"They should be managed somewhere more suitable for them rather than the most secure conditions that are within Scotland," he added.