“Trapped in Time: The Silent Crisis of Elderly Incarceration”
The title of this post is the title of this lengthy new research report produced by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs. Here is an excerpt from the report’s Executive Summary:
America’s prison population is aging — and aging faster than ever. The graying of America’s prisons is transforming the landscape of the nation’s correctional systems, presenting myriad operational and fiscal challenges for prison systems across the country. Of most importance, though, is that the ballooning elderly incarcerated population, coupled with correctional agencies’ inability to adequately address their distinct needs, has created conditions that are ripe for a multitude of civil rights violations, the exacerbation of chronic medical conditions, and ultimately, needless suffering and preventable deaths. These problems are only getting worse.
As the human costs, fiscal costs, and operational challenges of managing a rapidly aging prison population continue to grow exponentially, it is incumbent upon policymakers nationwide to address the epidemic of aging behind bars. Though this issue has received traction in some state legislatures, there is still much to be done. This report provides the research, data, and roadmap necessary for state and federal lawmakers to create lasting change. It collects data gathered from a 50-state survey, analyzes the human and operational costs of incarcerating elderly people, and provides a panoply of recommendations.
Through state public records requests and other publicly available data from state departments of correction, we analyzed demographic trends in the elderly incarcerated population, as well as the fiscal impact of elderly incarcerated people on correctional budgets. We also researched historical criminal law trends, current sentencing and parole laws, and model statutes and programs among states to better inform our recommendations.