Dementia in Victorian Prisons: Estimating the Prevalence and Experience of Undetected Diagnoses Suggestive of Dementia in a Sample of Older Prisoners

The prison population is ageing, bringing with it significant challenges for managing age-related illnesses, like dementia. Prisoners are an already vulnerable population with unique health concerns which may increase their chances of developing dementia. The prison environment makes managing dementia for prisoners particularly challenging, but important to address. This thesis explores dementia in Victorian prisons through establishing an estimate of the prevalence of dementia in prisoner cohorts, through exploring the experience of prison for older prisoners and through assessing staff's ability to detect and support prisoners with dementia. This research is a crucial first step to ensuring appropriate service delivery.