ABSTRACT
Prison space, which is characterised by high walls, reinforced doors, barbed wire fences and tight security, is there to demonstrate that ‘physical and social exclusion is the price of non-conformity’ (Matthews 1999, 26). This environment is paradoxically the opposite of that in which many individuals in wider society find themselves growing old, and so it is unsurprising that the research yielded some fascinating insights into the problems faced by an ageing prison population, housed in antiquated institutions, primarily designed for aggressive young men.
