From 1999 to 2016, the number of people 55 or older in state and federal prisons increased 280 percent. During the same period, the number of younger adults grew merely 3 percent. As a result, older inmates swelled from 3 percent of the total prison population to 11 percent.
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An aging or elderly incarcerated individual is an individual over the age of 55 who breaks the law or is in prison.
- Before December 2018, courts were authorized to consider motions under section 3582(c)(1)(A) only if they were filed by the Director of the Bureau of Prisons. In December 2018, Congress amended that portion of section 3582 to authorize courts to also consider motions filed by offenders, in certain circumstances.
- The aging of the prison population has implications for the quality and type of services they receive in the correctional system, as well as for reentry services since the vast majority of prisoners return to the community at some point. This paper notes many of the needs of aging individuals as they move through the justice system.
- The unremitting growth of older inmates in prison populations is one of the most pressing concerns in federal corrections today. The results of this paper suggest optimal policy responses to aging populations will need to be tailored to their jurisdiction.