Policies for older offenders in the criminal justice system should reflect common themes that have emerged over the past 5 years regarding older people outside the criminal justice system. These themes have challenged the stereotypical view that older people are inherently physically frail, mentally handicapped, and highly dependent on various welfare services. All of the recent government papers on the elderly in British society have emphasized six themes. First, ensure that older people remain actively employed; second, they should have an active role in their communities; third, they should retain their independence and control their lives within the limits of any physical and mental restraints; fourth, there should be a focus on the well-being of older persons; fifth, there should be a stronger strategic and leadership role for local government in responding to the needs of older people; and sixth, new models of service delivery for older persons should be developed. The same themes should be carried over into research and policies for older persons in the criminal justice system. Older inmates should be encouraged and provided opportunities to improve themselves, be safe in prison, be treated with respect, and have the opportunity to maintain contact with family members. Current British sentencing policy, images of older offenders, and current thinking about community sentences for older offenders do not fully implement this conceptual framework. Older offenders should be a focus of and participants in current general correctional trends to reduce the overall prison population and the impact of imprisonment on individual offenders; to integrate prison and probation services at the regional level; and improve resettlement prospects for offenders leaving prison. 23 references and an appended outline of a strategic approach for "whole systems citizenship" for older prisoners