Old folk's jail urged for long-time lifers

OLD people serving life sentences are to be given their own prison wing equipped with wheelchair ramps and special beds, under proposals to the Government, writes Jason Bennetto.

John Dovell, the governor of Kingston prison in Portsmouth, wants a wing for inmates aged 65 and over, which he said would be modelled on an old people's home. 'The new wing will compare with the best rest homes outside,' he said.

Kingston prison is Europe's only jail solely for lifers and has 155 inmates, including an 83-year-old man.

The Prison Service has had to accommodate a growing number of elderly lifers since the death penalty was abolished in 1965. There are now 136 over 60 years old.