Many prisons in Switzerland are ill-equipped to cater for elderly inmates. Protection from fellow inmates is also a problem.
Keystone / Peter Schneider
Although prisoners over 60 make up just 6% of Switzerland’s prison population, they are the fastest-growing age group. This creates new challenges for prisons, including how to protect older inmates from other prisoners.
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May 5, 2026 – 09:00
Georges* was over 70 years old when he was imprisoned in Champ-Dollon and later in La Brenaz in Geneva. He stayed there for over a year.
“You are exposed to a hierarchy that is established in these prisons,” he told Mise au Point, a news and current affairs programme on Swiss public television RTS. “There’s a gang with a boss, and he sets the tone.”
Georges witnessed a gang rape of another inmate in the prison showers. “The guard had locked the doors because an alarm had gone off,” he recalls. “In the end, the boss came to me and said: ‘Lucky for you, you’re too old for this kind of thing. But don’t tell anyone about it, otherwise you won’t live much longer’. That was a terrible shock for me.”
Georges was also the victim of a blackmail attempt. A fellow inmate threatened to harm him and his family if he didn’t pay CHF4,000 ($5,069) a month.
Caring for elderly prisoners: a growing challenge
Harassment or threats are the main risks for older inmates. But providing the necessary care can also be complicated.
Prison accelerates the ageing process. In Switzerland, a 60‑year‑old inmate typically shows the same physical and psychological decline as a 70‑year‑old living outside prison.
“These people generally have weak or negative socio-economic conditions,” explains Hans Wolff, president of the Swiss Conference of Prison Doctors.
“They are more likely to suffer from addictions or infectious diseases and are ten times more likely to be affected by mental illness.”
More
Demographics
Growing old in Switzerland
The living conditions and infrastructure for older people in Switzerland are good, including the social and pension system. However, the latter is coming under increasing pressure: while life expectancy has risen significantly in recent decades, there have only been minor changes in the retirement age.
Read more: Growing old in Switzerland
Although the over-60s only make up 6% of inmates, their proportion has increased sixfold in the last 40 years.
“Today, the dignity of these people is not guaranteed,” says Wolff. “In some cases, it is not respected at all, especially when prisons suffer from overcrowding. Swiss prisons are not designed for a geriatric population.”
The authorities have recognised the problem, but the “Concordat Latin” (the prisons in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino) are significantly less well-equipped than those in German-speaking Switzerland.
When the prison system becomes a care service
In German-speaking Switzerland, the Lenzburg prison in canton Aargau is regarded as a role model. Fifteen years ago, the first specialised unit for prisoners over the age of 60 was created there.
Spitex home care workers visit twice a day. Vulnerable people are separated from the other inmates and have more time to walk around. The aim is to maintain their autonomy for as long as possible.
Claudio Pinetti works there as a prison officer but is a trained nurse: “Normally we maintain a certain distance from the inmates, but that’s not possible here. Part of our job is to help them put on their trousers or close their zipper. There is physical contact, and that’s part of it. It’s a balance between security and closeness.”
Many prisoners in this unit are held under detention orders and may never be released. The prospect of dying in prison is also an unavoidable issue in this section.
Beat Meier has served a four-year sentence but has been locked up for 33 years due to custody. “That’s practically a death sentence. Dying in prison is taboo, but we try to make jokes – it’s better to laugh than to cry. That’s important to endure it.”
*name has been changed
Translated from French with the help of AI: Marc Leutenegger/amva
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