Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Tonya Papanikolas Reporting Utah has just over 6700 inmates. Out of that number, about six-percent are prisoners over age 55.
Steve Caverley, Corrections Health Program Administrator: "I don't think we ever planned for this demographic trend to come at us like this."
The Department of Corrections says the older population keeps growing as inmates age in prison and a lot more senior inmates are entering the system.
Steve Caverley: "Between the year 2000 and 2005, we had about a 19% increase per year."
At this rate, the prisons could double their senior population by 2010. That would have a huge impact on medical costs.
Kent Larson, Inmate: "They're spending a lot of money on me for medication."
60-year-old Kent Larson has multiple sclerosis and high blood pressure. He has more than 20 prescriptions. When the prison doctors can't help him, they send him elsewhere.
Kent Larson, Prison Inmate: "I've been up to University Medical Center six times. Huntsman Cancer Clinic, eurology, neurology, MRI's, this kind of thing."
75-year-old Garth Justet also has a stack of pills.
Garth Justet: "These I take once a day at bedtime. These I take twice a day, these I take twice a day."
Justet's had five surgeries at the University Medical Center and is on oxygen.
Garth Justet: "It's better them pay for it than me."
But it takes a lot of money. With more, older prisoners, the Department of Corrections is worried about paying for all the costs to come.
