More than £4,000 has been spent on specialist sport kit for older cons because they might not be able to take part in usual exercise regimes.
And bosses forked out £5,500 on the chess sets to keep prisoners entertained.
Pensioners normally enjoy a genteel game of bowls on immaculate lawns dressed in white pressed outfits.
But with the number of over-60s in jails rocketing by 82 per cent in the past decade, there is a demand for the game behind bars.
Furious Tory MP Greg Smith said prison was supposed to be a punishment.
He added: “Spending cash like this to turn them into holiday camps is an insult to the victims of the awful crimes they’ve committed.
“I don’t think this is the best use of taxpayer cash.”
The Prison Service would not reveal which prisons had bowling facilities, but said: “Keeping prisoners active helps rehabilitation which cuts crime, protects the public and saves taxpayer money.”
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