France, June 14 -- Reflecting demographic trends, Germany's prison population is ageing. The largest unit for senior prisoners in the country is in Bielefeld-Senne, east of Cologne - where inmates live in specially adapted cells and aren't required to work once they pass retirement age.

Walking into Senne prison, 200 kilometres east of Cologne in western Germany, things look a little different from what you might expect.

Aside from the fact that the prison hall opens directly on to the grounds, if you look closer you'll notice a lot of grey and white hair.

Just as in the outside world, the prison population in Germany is ageing.

According to a study published in 2022, onSocial Care for Older People in German Prisons, "in Germany, the ...