The mental and physical health of older offenders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

•We review the pooled prevalence for health disorders among older offenders.•A higher risk for physical health outcomes among older offenders was found.•These were Hypertension, Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Arthritis diseases.•For only one mental health and very few physical health outcomes relative risk could be calculated.•Much more research with comparison groups and longitudinal designs is needed. A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed to: 1) estimate the prevalence of both mental and physical health problems in older offenders; 2) calculate relative risks for the health conditions in relation to non-offender older adults and; 3) explore the potential confounding role of several variables. We searched five databases up to August 2019. Studies involving offenders older than 50 years old were included. Fifty-five publications met criteria. The pooled prevalence for 18 mental and 28 physical health problems was calculated. In comparison with non-offender older adults, older offenders showed significantly higher risk for Hypertension (RR = 1.16, CI = 1.1, 1.2), Cardiovascular Diseases (RR = 1.24, CI = 1.09, 1.41), Respiratory diseases (RR = 1.75, CI = 1.29, 2.35), and Arthritis (RR = 1.19, CI = 1.12, 1.25). Heterogeneity was significant for all meta-analyses and partially explained by the confounding effect of country, the diagnosis assessment method, and the sample characteristics. Future research should include comparison groups of non-offender older adults and use longitudinal study designs to identify risk factors that can be targeted in preventive programmes.