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Aging in Prison

a picture of an elderly woman in a correctional facility eating lunch

"The number of prisoners age 55 or older sentenced to more than 1 year in state prison increased 400% between 1993 and 2013, from 26,300 (3% of the total state prison population) in 1993 to 131,500 (10% of the total population) in 2013"1

Older adults in prison often exhibit physical and mental health problems, including dementia, and histories of trauma and chronic stress. Over 3,000 of these men and women will die each year in prison.2

Listed below are resources related to the needs, policies, programs, and legal issues of aging in prison.

  1. (Carson & Sabol, 2016) [From Aging Of The State Prison Population, 1993-2013]
  2. (James & Glaze, 2006; Maruschak, 2008; Maschi, Kwak, Ko, & Morrissey, 2012). [From Aging Prisoners: A Crisis in Need of Intervention, Fordham University, 2012.]

© Photo by Jessica Earnshaw

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