"Dying in Prison: End-of-Life Care Services in a State Correctional Facility" (by Brooke Colley Webb, Mollee K. Steely Smith, and Tusty ten Bensel): Review 2

Vote: Publish pending minor changes

This was a well-written manuscript on a segment of the aging incarcerated population in prisons that has received less attention in the literature. The authors do a thorough task of covering the current and available literature on this topic area of EOL issues for aging inmates. The authors did explain very well the coding system that was employed. Although the sample is fairly small, the findings do highlight and provide insight into EOL provisions made currently in prisons for older adults who are incarcerated and how EOL has evolved over time in these settings. The authors did cite the sample size as a limitation and findings, therefore, being limited in being generalized to bigger populations as a result. Findings from participants did point to the need for basic training for employees with justice-involved populations that are aging. One area of discussion that would have added to this paper would be what that training would be like in form and content as per the participants. This reviewer would like to see mention of this type of training addressed in either the discussion or implication sections of the paper. Would the training needed be basic geriatric knowledge and skills required when working with older adults in these settings? Would it cover areas like the biology of the older adult and the subsequent mental health status and possible decline with this population? The reviewer did appreciate the explanation of why grounded theory was used in the coding of themes and data although theory was not introduced. The qualitative data was rich in content and provided the reviewer with unique insight from professionals working with this population in prison settings.