Guest Editorial AGING, MENTAL HEALTH, AND INCARCERATION The purpose of this editorial is to respond to a recent study on the health and health care of U.S. prisoners (Wilper et al., 2009). This study, combined with my recent review of both the American Nurses Association (ANA) Congress on Nursing Practice and Econom- ics’ (2008) proposed revisions to Nursing’s Social Policy Statement: The Essence of the Profession and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) and Interna- tional Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses’ (ISPN) Essentials of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing in the BSN Curriculum (2008), em- phasized for me an aging population that needs gerontological nursing care. The ANA Congress on Nurs- ing Practice and Economics’ (2008) Social Policy Statement states that “Quality health care is a human right for all. Increasing costs of care, health disparities, and the lack of accessible, available, and acceptable healthcare services and resources are complex issues that must be addressed to improve the qual- ity of care” (p. 3). The APNA and ISPN (2008) Essentials document identiies the needed psychiatric- mental health nursing content for the baccalaureate curriculum, with particular attention to vulnerable populations and health disparities in mental health care and outcomes. Included in this care are marginal- ized populations, such as those who are jailed. It was in reading about this last description of vulnerable populations that I realized how little I knew about how this population fared given the health care provided to prison populations. I became keenly aware at how little I thought about aging, mental illness, and incarceration. Wilper et al. (2009) examined the prevalence of chronic illnesses, including mental illness, by analyz- Caring for Incarcerated Older Adults Two Views When two scholars in the field independently identify an important issue, it is worthy of the Journal’s attention. The issues and challenges related to an aging incarcerated population are being discussed more and more frequently in the literature and at conferences. In response to a call for editorials, two valued mem- bers of the Journal of Gerontological Nursing’s Editorial Advi- sory Board and Review Panel responded with the pieces found in this guest editorial—both on the topic of caring for geriatric inmates. They are in many ways different pieces. Dr. Melillo’s comes from a largely psychiatric nursing perspective, and Dr. Loeb’s has more of a gerontological nursing perspective. However, the major theme common in both pieces is: Why should gerontologi- cal nurses care about this population? For this reason, we decided to publish both together to present two views, arguing that we do need to focus on this vulnerable group. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, we welcome your feedback. Kathleen C. Buckwalter, PhD, RN, FAAN Editor © iStockphoto.com/Lou Oates JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING • VOL. 35, NO. 7, 2009 3